The recent decision by the French National Assembly to allow the use of AI technology for video surveillance during the Paris Olympics in 2024 is a cause for concern among human rights advocates and activists. While the stated purpose of this technology is to ensure the safety of millions of tourists visiting the city during the games, it sets a dangerous precedent for the use of surveillance technology in France and the European Union.
Several NGOs have criticized the decision, arguing that it undermines the EU’s efforts to regulate AI and could result in widespread human rights violations. The use of AI-assisted surveillance in France and the EU has been legalized for the first time, and this decision could permanently turn France into a dystopian surveillance state.
The use of AI technology for video surveillance poses several risks to personal privacy and freedom. It allows the government to monitor the public’s movements and activities in public spaces without their knowledge or consent. This violates the right to privacy and could lead to abuses of power by those in authority.
The government claims that the system will not use facial recognition technology to identify and track specific individuals, but this does not alleviate concerns about the potential for abuse. The algorithms used to analyze footage from cameras could still be programmed to identify and flag certain behaviors or activities, leading to discrimination against certain groups of people.
Moreover, the use of AI technology for video surveillance is not foolproof and can lead to false positives. Innocent individuals may be wrongly identified as suspicious, leading to their harassment and persecution by law enforcement agencies.
Human rights organizations are calling on the European Parliament to take urgent action to ban mass surveillance technologies, including remote biometric identification and categorization in public places. The French government’s decision to legalize the use of AI-assisted surveillance is a worrying precedent at a time when the EU should be focusing on enshrining rights protection in AI laws.
In conclusion, the French National Assembly’s decision to allow the use of AI technology for video surveillance during the Paris Olympics in 2024 is a concerning development that could lead to the erosion of personal privacy and freedom. Human rights advocates and activists are calling on the EU to take urgent action to ban mass surveillance technologies and protect the rights of its citizens. It is essential that we remain vigilant in the face of this threat to our fundamental rights and freedoms.