How Erie County's New Law Protects Your Biometric Data

Members of government in Erie county have been pretty busy lately with new laws being implemented in Western New York. It was just the other day that officials from held a big press event in front of County Hall to discuss a new law that may have a huge impact on drivers around the region. Now, in another press event on the steps of the County Executive’s office, Mark Poloncarz was joined with several members of the Erie County Legislature to sign the new Biometric Transparency and Privacy Act into law.

Standing on the plaza in front of the Rath Building, Erie County Legislators Lawrence Dupre and Taisha St. Jean Tard stood along since Jennifer Andrews, the county director of Consumer Protection and County Attorney Jeremy Toth while Poloncarz signed the law.

If was a few months ago when news about how some retail stores like Wegmans and others were using artificial intelligence and other advanced technology to gather information about their customers. Many outlets have been collecting biometric data about people who enter their stores. When people became widely aware of this, many felt that the potential invasion of privacy was huge.

This is especially true since you’re being tracked by local police, state, and federal police departments tracking us just about everywhere we go. These day’s it’s almost impossible to go about your day without being monitored, scanned, and having your likeness and activities stored and analyzed by AI. It’s gotten so bad that some police agencies have come right out and started asking for access to your personal security cameras and devices.

Erie County’s Biometric Transparency and Privacy Act To Impact Businesses Nationwide

According to the text of the law, any business that operates in Erie County has to now comply with the new rules around collecting and maintaining biometric data.

According to the Federal Trade Comission, biometric data includes: information depicting or describing physical, biological, or behavioral traits used to identify an individual. This includes facial features, iris/retina scans, fingerprints, voiceprints, gait, and data derived from these, such as AI-inferred age or emotional state.

Effective Thursday, May 27, 2026, businesses have thirty days to comply with the law or they face some hefty penalties. Fees start at $1,000 per day and can increase to $5,000 for everyday the business is out of compliance.

You can find out more about the law here on the County website. What do you think about this? Is Erie County doing right by moving in this direction?