EU Leaders to Consider Ban on Face Surveillance

POLITICO reports that EU President von der Leyen and Commissioner Vestager are considering a ban on the use of facial recognition in public spaces, "for up to five years until safeguards to mitigate the technology's risks are in place." Last fall, more than 100 organizations, and several hundred experts, from over 40 countries urged data protection officials to adopt a moratorium on facial recognition. The Public Voice petition asked countries to "establish the legal rules, technical standards, and ethical guidelines necessary to safeguard fundamental rights and comply with legal obligations before further deployment of this technology occurs." EPIC is now tracking efforts around the world to Ban Face Surveillance.