European Commission ‘white paper’ considers AI facial recognition ban

Read the full story by Samuel Stolton on Euractiv’s website.

The European Commission is considering imposing a temporary ban on facial recognition technologies, according to a draft white paper on Artificial Intelligence.

The leaked paper projects that the “use of facial recognition technology … in public spaces would be prohibited for a definite period (e.g. 3–5 years) during which a sound methodology for assessing the impacts of this technology and possible risk management measures could be identified and developed.”

This ban would disrupt existing projects, such as Germany’s plans to implement facial recognition technology in over 130 railway stations and 14 airports, and legal work undertaken in France towards establishing video surveillance systems with integrated facial technology.

The draft paper also considers regulatory options for AI, including voluntary labelling, sectorial requirements for public administration and facial recognition, mandatory risk-based requirements for high-risk applications, safety, liability and governance.

Compliance would be rewarded with a label of ‘ethical’ or ‘trustworthy artificial intelligence’.

EURACTIV is an independent pan-European media network that specialises in EU policies, founded in 1999 by the French media publisher Christophe Leclercq.