Erie County businesses will soon have new restrictions on their ability to record and store security video information.
Erie County has passed a local law that will prevent the recording, storage or monetization of biometric camera footage in commercial settings.
But County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo has concerns that this could negatively impact security capabilities for small business and daycare services.
“They can't use, you know, different programs to go through their security footage. I would want that at schools. So, who does this effect?" she said. "I don't think that we did an adequate job discussing and answering those questions. It was very clear on the floor when I did ask those questions, that the answers weren't there.”
County Legislator Lawrence Dupre, who sponsored the bill, says other forms of video recording will be allowed, as long as there is no biometric component.
“When you go into a store, there should not be a database built on your biometric data that you don't know what's going on with it. And as I've said multiple times, this has nothing to do with it gets this does not get into way of loss prevention," he said. "This has (in) no way stopped stores from using their security cameras to address loss prevention, that they have been.”
The legislation goes into effect in six months, but County Legislator Frank Todaro says enforcement will be difficult.
“I agree that we have to protect the data and everything that comes with it," he said. "But we have to have a law that really, again, has teeth, and we can actually understand it and make sure we have that protection for the public.”
Lorigo adds that she expects businesses to file several lawsuits in reaction to the legislation.
But there already have been opportunities throughout the process to raise any concerns that needed addressing, Dupre said.
