S.F. facial recognition ban may have spared it from surveillance hack By Chase DiFeliciantonio A wide-ranging breach of San Mateo security camera technology company Verkada appears to have compromised the security of thousands of private and public institutions across the world, including some in the Bay Area. San Francisco’s city government seems to have been spared, however, due in part to a 2019 ordinance banning the use of facial recognition technology by the city’s Police Department and other agencies. The intrusion was first reported by Bloomberg. The Chronicle obtained a supposedly leaked list of Verkada customers. While it could not be independently verified, the list contained detailed information about companies and public agencies including some Bay Area municipalities and school districts.