In France, the use of surveillance technologies is growing rapidly. The next step ? Facial recognition, a prospect that raises real concerns.
The legalization of algorithmic video surveillance during the Paris Olympic Games
On the occasion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, France took a new step by legalizing algorithmic video surveillance. Concretely, cameras powered by artificial intelligence will analyze movements in real time in order to detect “abnormal” situations. This law, adopted in an accelerated procedure without any real public debate, positions France as the first member state of the European Union to legalize this type of surveillance on an experimental basis. This represents a major turning point that paves the way for the use of even more intrusive technologies such as facial recognition.
Surveillance experiments everywhere in France but also in Belgium
Facial recognition in a stadium in Metz, algorithmic video surveillance at the Gare du Nord in Paris, facial recognition in a high school in Marseille… Experiments are multiplying throughout France.
In Belgium, the #Protectmyface coalition, which brings together eight Brussels human rights associations, was heard by the Brussels Parliament in 2023. It asked MPs to take a position against the use of facial recognition in Brussels. Although not yet legal, this technology has already been tested by the federal police on several occasions.
The threats of facial recognition to our rights
The use of facial recognition to identify people in public spaces poses a serious threat to our rights. This tool violates our privacy, threatens our fundamental freedoms and increases discrimination.
Faced with the growing interest of French authorities in these surveillance technologies, it is imperative to fear a rapid deployment of facial recognition, unless strong measures are adopted to prevent it.
We ask parliamentarians to immediately adopt a law banning facial recognition for identification purposes in public spaces. Only a total ban, without exception, will guarantee the preservation of our individual and collective freedoms.
Act before facial recognition becomes a reality in France.
