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Biometric surveillance: Experts warn of massive risks to civil rights
Federal government plans biometric surveillance, experts warn of legal concerns and human rights violations.
Biometric surveillance: Experts warn of massive risks to civil rights
The debate about biometric surveillance in Germany is reaching a new high point. Loud Amnesty International The federal government is planning to expand the surveillance of the population using biometric systems. The controversial draft law from the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) from August 2023 is coming under increasing criticism. Experts from AlgorithmWatch and other organizations warn of the legal pitfalls of the draft, which not only violates existing law but also poses the risk of mass surveillance.
At a press conference in Berlin, five experts called for the law to be rejected. In particular, they criticize that the draft violates the EU AI regulation, which prohibits the untargeted reading of faces. Matthias Spielkamp from AlgorithmWatch points out that facial recognition databases are needed to carry out biometric matching, which is against EU law. In view of these concerns, organizations such as the Chaos Computer Club and the Society for Freedom Rights warn of the far-reaching consequences for fundamental rights in Germany.
Reactions from society
Julia Duchrow from Amnesty International sums up the most pressing concerns: “Mass surveillance endangers human rights and democracy.” Other voices come from, among others, Ulrich Kelber, the former Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, who classifies the planned regulations as unconstitutional. One thing is clear: The BMI's draft provides for serious changes to the law on the Federal Criminal Police Office, that on the Federal Police and also to the Asylum Act.
While it remains uncertain when Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt will introduce the draft to the cabinet, AlgorithmWatch has already started a petition that has collected over 52,000 signatures to call for facial recognition systems to be banned in public spaces.
European framework conditions
The compromise between the EU bodies shows that biometric categorization systems are generally prohibited, but there are exceptions for certain identification systems that must be approved by a judge. This could mean that there will also be legal gray areas in Germany that will allow politicians to move forward with their projects, despite the concerns of experts.
A fine line: governments could come under pressure to balance security interests against fundamental rights. While EU law contains clear bans on social scoring and emotion recognition in the workplace, the options for border controls and other special cases remain unaffected.
The coming months will show how the legal situation in Germany will develop and whether political actors have a good knack for maintaining the balance between security and freedom. Let's stay tuned!