The use of facial recognition technology could increase across the European Union despite efforts to regulate it under the bloc-wide Artificial Intelligence Act.
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00:00 The use of facial recognition could increase, despite European efforts to regulate it.
00:09 Last December, the EU closed an initial agreement on artificial intelligence that would limit its uses to very specific contexts and under judicial authorization.
00:19 Specific contexts could include a terrorist attack or searches for missing people. But for some, the loopholes are still there.
00:27 They've brought in some really broad conditions within which police can use these systems.
00:32 And so what we fear is that this will have a legitimizing effect.
00:36 These systems that so far we've been able to contest and say we don't want these in a democratic society.
00:43 It will become harder to push back. And we might see other countries around the world saying, well, the EU has rubber stamped these technologies.
00:53 While the European Parliament wanted a ban, countries like France have pushed for a series of exceptions that would allow a more extensive use of facial recognition technology.
01:03 France even announced the use of AI to control suspicious activity during the Olympic Games.
01:09 Digital rights organizations have said the new European legislation does not rule out massive surveillance.
01:16 What we can expect is potentially an increase in the use of facial recognition systems in our public spaces, especially when these systems are used live.
01:26 So the idea that as you are walking around a public space, going to the shops, going to school, to the doctors, to a demonstration,
01:35 that there might actually be increased powers for law enforcement agencies to be using this live facial recognition technology to track you across time and place wherever you're going.
01:48 But some MEPs say the proposed law strikes a good balance between security and civil rights.
01:58 I think it's a very good way that we can balance the integrity, but also safety.
02:05 And if we would have banned this technique, then two things would happen.
02:09 First, we would, the society's, why should the integrity of a terrorist is more important than the security of our citizens?
02:18 And secondly, this technique would continue to be developed by other countries and especially by China.
02:27 This Friday, the EU countries will vote on the final version of the law. Some of them are still undecided.
02:34 If it falls, the EU will have to restart the negotiation of the AI Act.
02:39 [WHOOSH]