“If the law is passed in its current form, France will set a surveillance precedent never seen in Europe. » About forty MEPs, overwhelmingly from the Greens, S&D (Social Democrats) and Left Unitary groups, wrote on Friday March 17 to their French counterparts asking them to oppose Article 7 of the bill. on the Olympic Games, which provides for the deployment, on an experimental basis, of “augmented” cameras in Paris.
These cameras, which add automatic analysis technologies to conventional video surveillance, should allow, according to their promoters, to detect suspicious behavior. But their critics point out that beyond their dubious effectiveness, these surveillance devices present multiple risks for public freedoms. Most major privacy and human rights organizations, dont Amnesty Internationaloppose their deployment.
Sign of encouragement to “repressive regimes”
The opponents of these technologies would also be in the majority in the European Parliament, believe the MEPs who wrote the letter sent to French elected officials as well as to the National Commission for Computing and Liberties (CNIL). « In the European Parliament’s 2021 report on artificial intelligence in criminal law (…)precursor to the law on artificial intelligence [IA]Parliament called for “a permanent ban on the use of automated analysis (…), human characteristics (…)and other biometric and behavioral signals”they write. The corresponding regulation is under negotiation, and there is a majority in favor of a strict ban on biometric mass surveillance. »
The authors of the letter consider that, by adopting this text without waiting for the results of the debates at European level, France “Sup[rait] the role of democracy and control of the European Parliament. Article 7 of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Act may conflict with European AI law. » They also believe that the fact that a “democratic country like France” encourages this type of automated monitoring comes down to “give carte blanche to repressive regimes around the world to do the same with their own citizens”.
Adopted by the Senate at the end of January, the text must return to the deputies on Monday March 20. Its adoption is, in theory, little in doubt.