Observed Signal · Jun 13, 2023 · Regulation · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
EU Parliament Split Over Biometric Mass Surveillance in AI Act
The European Parliament is facing a dispute over biometric mass surveillance ahead of its plenary vote on the EU's AI regulation. Greens, Liberals, and the Left accuse the conservative European People's Party (EPP) of breaking a compromise that classified biometric mass surveillance such as facial recognition as 'unacceptable.' The EPP has proposed amendments allowing real-time biometric systems to find missing persons, prevent terrorist attacks, or prosecute serious crimes. Committee recommendations would permit AI-supported detection only for serious crimes with a court order and ban indiscriminate collection of biometric data from social media or surveillance videos to build face recognition databases. Shadow rapporteur Axel Voss (CDU) acknowledged the EPP motion is a 'problematic point' but urged other groups not to reject the entire AI regulation.
EU AI Act regulation is relevant to the AI industry and privacy policy, but the specific dispute over biometric mass surveillance has limited direct impact on advertising technology.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The EU Parliament's AI regulation is contested before a plenary vote over biometric mass surveillance.
- Greens, Liberals, and the Left accuse the EPP of breaking a previous compromise on biometric surveillance.
- The EPP wants to allow real-time biometric systems for finding missing persons, preventing terrorist attacks, or prosecuting serious crimes.
- The responsible committees recommended classifying biometric mass surveillance as 'unacceptable' and requiring a court order for serious crime investigations.
- Axel Voss (CDU) admitted the EPP motion is a 'problematic point' but hopes other groups do not reject the entire AI regulation.
Connected Companies & Entities
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