The town of Houlton recently agreed to remove surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition technology and destroy data as part of a settlement with residents who planned to take the town to court. They argued that Maine law prohibits possession and use of facial recognition technology.

But other forms of artificial intelligence are being tested by municipal governments to help with code enforcement research, water quality analysis, and other daily functions. And that's raising questions about what kinds of data local officials have access to, and how they're using it.

When the Sanford Police Department was informed of a stolen vehicle this spring, it didn't take long to solve the case.

"They're able to find the vehicle within 24 hours of it being reported stolen, which is, for

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