The EU's AI Act, currently in its final stage of negotiations, removes the limitation of facial surveillance technology to serious criminal offenses.
This paves the way for the introduction of biometric mass surveillance in Europe, raising concerns about privacy and civil liberties.
The law allows for the use of error-prone facial recognition for petty offenses, potentially leading to the targeting of vulnerable groups.
Facial recognition could be used to oust homeless people or prosecute individuals for minor offenses like graffiti.
The controversial use of facial recognition on demonstrators is also not excluded.
The AI Act even allows for permanent facial surveillance in real time, placing any public space in Europe under biometric mass surveillance.
This law legitimizes and normalizes a culture of mistrust and leads Europe into a dystopian future of a high-tech surveillance state.
Source: https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/ai-act-threatens-to-make-facial-surveillance-commonplace-in-europe/
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