Facial Recognition & Biometric Surveillance: Document Pool
Despite significant risks that facial and biometric recognition infringes on EU data protection and fundamental rights, Member States across Europe are deploying these systems without proper checks and balances. This has happened in the absence of public debate on facial and biometric mass surveillance, how it amplifies existing inequalities and violations, and whether it fits with our conceptions of democracy, freedom, equality and social justice.
At least 15 European countries have experimented with highly intrusive facial and biometric recognition systems for mass surveillance. The use of these systems can infringe on people’s right to conduct their daily lives in privacy and with respect for their fundamental freedoms. It can prevent them from participating fully in democratic activities, violate their right to equality and much more.
The gathering and use of biometric data for remote identification purposes, for instance through deployment of facial recognition in public places, carries specific risks for fundamental rights.
This has happened in the absence of proper public debate on what facial recognition means for our societies, how it amplifies existing inequalities and violations, and whether it fits with our conceptions of democracy, freedom, equality and social justice.
Considering the high risk of abuse, discrimination and violation of fundamental rights to privacy and data protection, the EU and its Member States must develop a strong, privacy-protective approach to all forms of biometric surveillance. In this document pool we will be listing relevant articles and documents related to the issue of facial and biometric recognition. This will allow you to follow the developments of surveillance measures and regulatory actions in Europe.
EDRi’s analysis and recommendations
EDRi members’ actions and reporting
EDRi’s blogposts and press releases
Guidance from data protection authorities
Key dates and official documents
Other useful resources
EDRi’s analysis and recommendations
Ban Biometric Mass Surveillance: A set of fundamental rights demands for the European Commission and EU Member States (13.05.2020)
EDRi members’ actions and reporting
- Access Now Why ID campaign (2019)
- Bits of Freedom dossier on facial recognition
- EFF 2019 year in review of the fight against government face surveillance (31.12.2019)
- EFF campaign “About Face”
- EPIC campaign “Ban Face Surveillance”
- La Quadrature du Net “Technopolice” campaign against face surveillance in French cities
- Open Rights Group (ORG) response to consultation lead by the Independent Advisory Group on Biometrics, Scotland (29.09.2017)
- Open Rights Group (ORG) Joint Submission to Justice Sub-Committee on Policing’s facial recognition inquiry, Scotland (06.11.2019)
- Privacy International campaign against facial recognition in policing of British neighbourhoods (20.02.2019)
- Privacy International dossier on biometrics
- Privacy International Submission to the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Sub-Committee on Policing’s Inquiry into facial recognition policing (01.11.2019)
- SHARE Foundation’s policy brief on unlawful video surveillance with facial recognition in Belgrade (04.12.2019)
- SHARE Foundation’s hiljade.kamera.rs campaign – English (19.05.2020) and Serbian
- Statewatch reports on the use of facial recognition technology at the Spanish-Morroccan border (30.09.2019)
EDRi’s blogposts and press releases
- Open Letter: EDRi calls on IBM to clarify stance on facial recognition (25.06.2020)
- Ban Biometric Mass Surveillance! (13.05.2020)
- Dangerous by Design: A cautionary tale about facial recognition (12.02.2020)
- Stalked by your Digital Doppelganger (29.01.2020)
- Amazon’s Rekognition shows its true colours (15.01.2020)
- Your face rings a bell: Three common uses of facial recognition (15.01.2020)
- The many faces of facial recognition in the EU (18.12.2019)
- Facial recognition and fundamental rights 101 (04.12.2019)
- Serbia: Unlawful facial recognition video surveillance in Belgrade (04.12.2019)
- Danish DPA approves Automated Facial Recognition (19.06.2019)
- Controversial testing of facial recognition software in Germany (06.09.2017)
- EC wants to add facial recognition to transnational databases (18.05.2016)
Guidance from data protection authorities
Pan-European authorities:
- European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS): “Facial recognition: A solution in search of a problem?” (28.10.2019)
- European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS): “AI and Facial Recognition: Challenges and Opportunities” (21.02.2020)
- European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS): “The moment you realise the world has changed: re-thinking the EDPS Strategy” (20.03.2020)
National authorities:
- UK Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO): “In the picture: A data protection code of practice for surveillance cameras and personal information” (09.06.2017)
- Italy Garante per la Protezione Dei Dati Personali:“Verifica preliminare. Sistema di rilevazione delle immagini dotato di un software che permette il riconoscimento della persona” (15.03.2018) [facial recognition for queue management at Rome airport]
- Italy Garante per la Protezione Dei Dati Personali: “Sistema automatico di ricerca dell’identità di un volto” (26.07.2018) [facial recognition for criminal surveillance]
- German Datenschutzkonferenz (DSK): “Positionspapier zur biometrischen Analyse” [biometric position paper] (April 2019)
- Denmark Datatilsynet: “Danish DPA approves automated Facial Recognition” (19.06.2019)
- UK Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO): “Statement: Live facial recognition technology in King’s Cross” (15.08.2019)
- Sweden Datainspektionen: “Facial recognition in school renders Sweden’s first GDPR fine” (22.08.2019)
- UK Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO): “Blog: Live facial recognition technology – police forces need to slow down and justify its use” (October 2019)
- Sweden Datainspektionen: “Polisen får använda ansiktsigenkänning för att utreda brott” (24.10.2019) [facial recognition for criminal surveillance]
- France CNIL: “Expérimentation de la reconnaissance faciale dans deux lycées : la CNIL précise sa position” (29.10.2019) [facial recognition in two schools]
- UK Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO): “ICO investigation into how the police use facial recognition technology in public places” (31.10.2019)
- France CNIL: “Facial recognition: for a debate living up to the challenges” (15.11.2019)
- Poland Urząd Ochrony Danych Osobowych: “Fine for processing students’ fingerprints imposed on a school” (05.03.2020)
Key dates* and official documents
- European Commission
- White Paper on Artificial Intelligence (19.02.2020) [non-legislative]
- Leaked draft 1 (12.01.2020)
- Leaked draft 2 (21.01.2020)
- Public consultation on White Paper on Artificial Intelligence (19.02.2020 – 31.05.2020)
- A Strategy for Europe – Fit for the Digital Age (19.02.2020) [non-legislative]
- Follow-up to the White Paper on Artificial Intelligence, including on safety, liability, fundamental rights and data (expected Q4 2020) [legislative]
- White Paper on Artificial Intelligence (19.02.2020) [non-legislative]
- European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
Other useful resources
- EU Fundamental Rights Agency: “Facial recognition technology: fundamental rights considerations in the context of law enforcement” (27.11.2019)
- EU Fundamental Rights Agency: “Under watchful eyes – biometrics, EU IT-systems and fundamental rights” (27.03.2018)
- European Network Against Racism (ENAR): “Data-Driven Policing: The Hardwiring of Discriminatory Policing Practices across Europe” (05.11.2019)
- “Bots at the Gate: A Human Rights Analysis of Automated Decision-Making in Canada’s Immigration and Refugee System” (16.08.2018)
- Scottish Biometrics Commissioner: “Parliament backs plan for oversight of police use of biometric data“ (10.03.2020)
- AI Now Institute: “AI Now Report 2018” (December 2018)
- Liberty Human Rights: “Resist Facial Recognition” (various dates)
- “Declaration: A Moratorium on Facial Recognition Technology for Mass Surveillance Endorsements” (October 2019)
- Ada Lovelace Institute: “Facial recognition: defining terms to clarify challenges” (13.11.2019)
- ADC por los Derechos Civiles: “ConMiCaraNo: Reconocimiento facial en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires” (date unknown)
- AlgorithmWatch: “At least 10 police forces use face recognition in the EU, AlgorithmWatch reveals” (11.12.2019)
- Georgetown Law center on Privacy & Technology: “The Perpetual Line-Up: Unregulated police facial recognition in America” (18.10.2016)
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Reporting on face recognition in the US (various dates)
- Scottish Parliament: “Facial Recognition: How Policing in Scotland makes use of this technology” (11.02.2020)
- Scottish Parliament Justice Sub-Committee on Policing: Video – EDRi member ORG gives evidence (05.12.2019)
* subject to change