Paris 2024 Olympics to Employ Video Surveillance with Algorithms: While Facial Recognition Technology Remains Controversial

Paris 2024 Olympic Games authorities are set to use video surveillance with algorithms in order to enhance security. This technology allows for the analysis of video sequences to identify suspicious or risky events or behaviors before alerting an operator in real time. However, facial recognition technology, which focuses on examining facial features of individuals and comparing them to a database, will not be utilized due to controversies surrounding its use.

In Nice during the 2019 carnival, a facial recognition software successfully identified volunteers who had provided their photos, but this technology raises concerns about privacy and civil liberties. The city of Nice has highly precise surveillance cameras and aims to implement facial recognition technology despite opposition from the Cnil, the authority responsible for ensuring data protection and privacy.

While European regulations require that facial recognition comply with data protection standards, there is no precise legal framework governing its use. The future European regulation on Artificial Intelligence aims to restrict the use of facial recognition in real-time public spaces except for specific crimes and with proper authorization. Amnesty International has raised concerns about the implications of surveillance technologies like facial recognition and monitoring committees will evaluate algorithmic video surveillance until 2025 to ensure compliance with privacy regulations.