It is a large international alliance that is seldom formed: over 175 well-known civil society organizations, academics and activists call for a worldwide ban on biometric surveillance in an open letter in public space.
“Some surveillance technologies are so dangerous that they inevitably cause far more problems than they solve. The use of face recognition and biometric technologies in publicly accessible areas enables mass surveillance and discriminatory targeted surveillance, ”the statement said. The abuse potential of these technologies is too great and the consequences too serious.
The organizations Access Now, Amnesty International, European Digital Rights, Human Rights Watch, the Internet Freedom Foundation and the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection have the letter initiated. It was then signed by major human rights and digital organizations around the world. Well he is Opened as a petition to other individuals and organizationswho want to support the cause.
The focus is on technologies for face recognition and biometric remote recognition. By this the authors mean all technologies that can identify on the basis of face, voice, personal appearance or other biometric characteristics and enable targeted mass surveillance. There are too many opportunities for abuse, this has already been shown in various countries in the past.
Arrest, Oppression and Discrimination
The open letter names eleven countries that have already used facial recognition to monitor protesters, thereby violating freedom of assembly and privacy. Innocent people were arrested in the United States, Argentina and Brazil. In China, Thailand and Italy, surveillance technologies suppress and discriminate against religious minorities, the letter said.
Biometric surveillance too often leads to the undermining of basic human rights such as freedom of expression and assembly, as well as the right to privacy and data protection. “No technical or legal safety precautions could ever completely exclude this risk,” says the letter. In addition, many applications that work with biometric classifications draw incorrect conclusions about certain properties, such as gender, and thus discriminate.
Appeal to governments, courts, authorities and companies
Therefore, neither governments nor private companies should be allowed to use such technologies in public spaces – for example in parks, schools, libraries, public transport and social media – demand the signatories: inside. They direct their appeal in particular to politicians and legislators. These are intended to create the legal framework that prohibits biometric surveillance itself, but also prohibits investment in research into relevant technologies.
The network also appeals to courts to take into account human rights violations through biometric monitoring in their case law. It calls on authorities for consumer or data protection to push for a stop of biometric applications in companies. Finally, the letter also obliges the United Nations, private companies, investors and employees of tech companies to campaign against mass biometric surveillance.
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