Germany’s incoming government is throwing its weight behind a ban on the use of biometric identification technologies such as facial recognition in public places.
According to their coalition deal, the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP) want to “exclude” biometric recognition in public spaces as well as automated state scoring systems by AI through European law.
“Biometric recognition in public spaces as well as automated state scoring systems by AI are to be excluded under European law,” reads the coalition agreement, presented on Wednesday.
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, proposed in April, creates product safety rules for “high risk” AI that is likely to cause harm to humans. It also bans certain “unacceptable” AI uses, such as social scoring and restricts the use of remote biometric identification in public places from law enforcement, unless it is to fight serious crime, such as terrorism.
The AI Act’s prohibitions are some of the bill’s most contentious articles, and many European countries have yet to decide what they think. Germany’s support of a ban could rally other countries to the same view. Belgium and Slovakia have already expressed their support.
Some EU countries, such as France, are worried that a ban on facial recognition would weaken national security.
Members of the European Parliament have also called for a full ban on facial recognition in public places.
“The clear ‘no’ to biometric surveillance in public spaces and additionally the right to anonymity online and offline as well as the right to encryption are a paradigm shift in the German discussion about AI. This will be very welcomed support for the upcoming negotiations on the AI Act,” said German MEP Svenja Hahn, who belongs to the FDP and is one of the co-negotiators of the AI Act in the Parliament’s internal market committee.