Is Anonymity in Public Spaces Finished with the Implementation of Facial Recognition Technology in Surveillance Cameras?

Surveillance cameras have become so ubiquitous in public spaces that we hardly notice them anymore. Combined with advanced facial recognition technology, anonymity on the street may soon be a thing of the past. While facial recognition has been around for some time, its use in public spaces has raised concerns regarding privacy. For instance, individuals can be traced live on the streets, thereby ending anonymity. Moreover, the possibilities of using the technology in both public and private spaces are endless. However, faster advancements in algorithms make it challenging for laws to keep up with regulating facial recognition use in public spaces. In Belgium, for instance, there is currently no legal framework to regulate such use, and authorities have even used the highly controversial Clearview software during trials at Brussels airport in October 2019, which is illegal.

Finished, anonymity in the street? Surveillance cameras are so widespread in the public space that we don’t even pay attention to them anymore. And in recent years, facial recognition technologies have advanced at breakneck speed. Will we all one day be identifiable on the street by an artificial intelligence?

Facial recognition has been around for years. Maybe you use it to unlock your smartphone for example. But this technology has now become sufficiently powerful to be used with surveillance cameras installed in public spaces.

Privacy concerns

“We are going to record a series of face measurementsexplains Manuel Lambert, legal adviser to the League of Human Rights. On the public highway, a person can be traced live. Virtually the end of anonymity“, he worries. Identifying individuals suspected of having committed an offense or missing persons, analyzing the mood of customers in a store to measure their satisfaction… the number of possibilities of use , both in public and private space, makes you dizzy.

The problem is that algorithms evolve faster than laws. In Belgium, for the moment, no legal framework exists to regulate the use of facial recognition in public space. This did not prevent the authorities from using the highly controversial Clearview software during trials at Brussels airport in October 2019, completely illegally.

In conclusion, the advancement of facial recognition technology has raised valid concerns regarding privacy and the loss of anonymity in public spaces. While the potential applications of this technology may seem useful, it is important for laws and regulations to catch up with the rapid evolution of these algorithms to ensure that their use is ethical and does not compromise individual rights. As we reflect on the increasing presence of surveillance cameras in our daily lives, we must ask ourselves what kind of society we want to live in and what we are willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of security and convenience.