A leaked draft of a white paper suggests that the European Commission is working towards suspending the use of facial recognition technologies in public places for at least five years.
The suspension will give manufacturers and regulators ample time to make the technology more secure and safe from exploitation. Although, exceptions to the suspension may be given for research and developmental projects.
The EC laid out its plan in an 18-page white paper obtained by EURACTIV, though the completed version is slated to be published in February.
The white paper proposes strict regulations against developers and users of facial recognition technologies while calling on EU countries to put in place checks and balances to locally to set up agencies for the monitoring of the technology.
Details of the ban
The suspension is supposed to last for between 3-5 years and during that time
“a sound methodology for assessing the impacts of this technology and possible risk management measures could be identified and developed”.
According to Techradar,
The white paper also features five regulatory options for AI across the EU which include voluntary labeling, sectorial requirements for public administration and facial recognition, mandatory risk-based requirements for high-risk applications, safety and liability and governance.
Because of its high propensity for misuse, the European Commission plans to impose this suspension or ban while it weighs the pros and cons.
Last year San Francisco outright banned the use of the technology by police
Diverse views
While the EU plans to suspend the technology, China has mandated mobile phone operators to scan the face of every new user, and India announced last year that the country will embark on building the world’s largest facial recognition technology.
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