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The European Commission (EC) intends to drastically limit the use of facial recognition. The new rules should prevent EU citizens from being subject to ubiquitous surveillance with identity recognition.

The Financial Times writes about the plans on the basis of sources, according to which EU citizens should be able to control themselves when facial recognition is applied to them. The use of facial recognition without discrimination should be limited by the new rules. According to the plans, citizens should be informed when facial recognition is applied to them. Exceptions must also be strictly and precisely defined. The new regulations come on top of the GDPR, which in principle already prohibits the use of biometric technology to identify specific individuals.

Regulatory plan AI

The plan is part of a new approach and regulation of artificial intelligent by the EU. The plan should promote citizens’ confidence in AI by using it safely and responsibly. This includes techniques such as facial recognition. The new plan will regulate all the use of AI techniques as broadly as possible. According to the EC, without regulation, AI puts people’s fundamental rights at risk if misused. For example, unregulated AI technologies could, according to the EC, have an impact on citizens without giving a reason and without an intermediary providing any context.

There are a number of EU countries (excluding Brexit) where facial recognition was highlighted in the media. In Sweden, a fine was handed out for misusing facial recognition in a school. Earlier warnings had been given of an ‘epidemic of facial recognition’ in the United Kingdom. In any case, the reports on this technology indicate that the EC’s plans do not come out of nowhere. According to the Financial Times, the new regulations will affect how facial recognition can be used in public places.

This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.