Austin Council adopts 'Trust Act' to add privacy reviews for city surveillance tech

Austin’s City Council adopted a surveillance procurement ordinance — the Trust Act — on April 23, creating a formal privacy‑impact assessment and public-review workflow for city use of surveillance technology.

Mayor Pro Tem Vela led the ordinance changes, tightening timeframes so the public and council have more time to review proposed contracts and shortening the window for exigent-use exceptions. Supporters — including privacy advocates and community groups — said the law will help the public and elected officials understand the downstream implications of facial recognition, license‑plate readers and related systems before city adoption. "This ordinance creates a framework by which to analyze the types of surveillance technologies that we do use," Vela said during debate.

Councilmember Duchin proposed an amendment (later adjusted by direction) that asks city technology and procurement staff to review whether the ordinance unintentionally impedes adoption of otherwise useful public‑safety technologies; the council directed staff to conduct that review one year after the ordinance takes effect and to report findings to the Public Safety Committee.

Public testimony came from digital‑rights lawyers and civil‑liberties advocates. Ben Sutterby and Mackenzie Ryan, among others, urged a stronger review process and noted that companies providing surveillance technology have a record of seeking loopholes in local rules. Council members acknowledged those concerns and also discussed the need to preserve officer safety and operational flexibility in genuine emergency situations.

The ordinance will require privacy‑impact assessments and increase transparency by posting assessments and contract summaries in advance of council consideration for affected procurements. The measure passed as amended; the city manager and Austin Technology Services were directed to prepare the one‑year procurement review.

Next steps: staff will post assessment templates and timeline guidance; a one‑year review of procurement impacts and recommendations will be delivered to the Public Safety Committee.