The European Parliament (EP) has passed the AI Act, which critics warn enshrines biometric mass surveillance in law.
The EU announced the adoption of the act as a “landmark” event, touting it as a safeguard that “limit[s] the use of identification systems by law enforcement.” An official press release claims the act “aims to protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law… from high-risk AI.”
The Act’s critics say the exact opposite is the case, asserting that the current legislation resulted from semi-secret negotiations between the EP, the European Commission, and the Council of the EU that lacked transparency and subverted the law’s original intent. MEP Patrick Beyer stated that the AI Act “effectively allows law enforcement the introduction of error-prone facial surveillance and facial recognition camera software in public spaces.” The law, Beyer says, is poised to turn European nations into “high-tech surveillance states.”
Czech MEP Marcel Kolaja echoed Beyer’s concerns. He claimed that “national governments” inserted language laying the groundwork for legalized mass spying on citizens using cameras with AI biometric tech.
“Such cameras, equipped with artificial intelligence, are able to recognize people’s faces and thus keep track of who has been where, when, and with whom,” Kolaja said. “The AI Act should have banned such an Orwellian tool, but instead it explicitly legalizes it.”
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