Another backpedal: EU does not want to ban face recognition after all

Another backpedal: EU does not want to ban face recognition after all

15. Februar 2020 0 Von Horst Buchwald

Another backpedal: EU does not want to ban face recognition after all

Brussels, 15.2.2020

The European Union will not ban face recognition technology, as it once proposed. This was reported in the Financial Times a few days ago. The EU Commission has not contradicted.

In doing so, it had drafted a draft in which it advocated a five-year moratorium on facial recognition – on the grounds that this would allow the effects of the technology to be investigated, as this AI-controlled software would be inaccurate, violate data protection laws and facilitate identity fraud. However, the Commission has lifted this moratorium, according to the British newspaper.

Now the Brussels authority will probably leave it to its member states to decide which rules it will lay down for facial recognition. In a new draft, it proposes that independent groups evaluate any proposed public use of the technology.

Meanwhile, London police announced on 24 January that they would start using the technology in several public places. The implementation was approved by the UK National Police, who believe that the targeted and well-managed use is compatible with data protection legislation.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai had argued for a temporary ban in the UK, arguing that there was time for a careful assessment of the risks.