RI, US · AI law tracker
S2491 — RI, US
S2491 is an AI governance legislation from RI, currently introduced. Rhode Island Senate Bill S2491 proposes to prohibit facial and biometric recognition technologies, particularly for online betting [2]. AIGI tracks 1 primary-source update on this bill; the most recent was published on 2022-03-02.
Status & timeline
- Regulatory stage
- introduced
- Bill status
- introduced
- Authority / governing body
- RI General Assembly
- Chamber
- senate
- Document type
- legislation
Next deadline: No fixed deadline — a proposed bill requires legislative action to become law.
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Full obligation matrix
Subscriber only
Enforcement risk score
Announced regulation; enforcement footprint still forming.
Subscriber only
Role-based compliance checklist
- general_counsel Review current and planned deployments of facial and biometric recognition technologies in Rhode Island. (Ongoing)
- cto Assess technical capabilities to disable or remove facial/biometric recognition systems if S2491 is enacted. (Ongoing)
- compliance_officer Monitor the legislative progress of S2491 and other similar bills. (Ongoing)
Subscriber only
Vendor impact assessment
- Vendor risk class
- critical
- Procurement categories
- security_tooling, customer_service_ai, fraud_detection, other
Vendors offering facial or biometric recognition solutions need to be aware of outright bans in jurisdictions like Rhode Island, as this directly impacts their ability to provide services.
Sample vendor questions
- Does your facial or biometric recognition technology operate in Rhode Island, or can it be geofenced?
- What contingency plans do you have if facial/biometric recognition is prohibited in certain jurisdictions?
- How do you ensure compliance with state-level bans on biometric technologies?
Intelligence briefs (1)
Rhode Island Bill S2491 Proposes Ban on Biometric, Facial Recognition
Rhode Island Senate Bill S2491 proposes to prohibit facial and biometric recognition technologies, particularly for online betting [2].
This development signals a potential state-level prohibition on specific AI recognition technologies, affecting deployment for certain use cases.
Deadline: No fixed deadline — a proposed bill requires legislative action to become law.
Primary source →Frequently asked questions
- What is S2491?
- Rhode Island Senate Bill S2491 proposes to prohibit the use of facial recognition technology and biometric recognition within the state [3]. The bill specifically targets online betting applications, preventing their use of these technologies for automated recognition and identification [2]. It also defines "biometric recognition" in the context of automated recognition and identification [1]. Primary source →
- Why does S2491 matter?
- This development signals a potential state-level prohibition on specific AI recognition technologies, affecting deployment for certain use cases. Primary source →
- Who does S2491 affect?
- Companies operating or planning to operate in Rhode Island are within scope, particularly those developing or utilizing facial recognition or biometric recognition systems. The bill specifically identifies online betting applications as prohibited use cases, suggesting a targeted impact on deployers in the gaming and online services sectors. Organizations utilizing these technologies for identification or automated recognition may be affected. Primary source →
- What are the key dates for S2491?
- No fixed deadline — a proposed bill requires legislative action to become law. Primary source →
- What is the current status of S2491?
- As of the last published update, S2491 is at the "introduced" stage, with bill status "introduced". Primary source →
- Where can I find the primary source for S2491?
- The primary source for the most recent update is at file://webserver/wwwroot/Billtext/BillText22/SenateText22/S2491.htm. AIGI publishes the full citation chain plus every approved brief on this bill. Primary source →
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