In a resolution adopted with 377 votes in favor, 248 against and 62 abstentions, MEPs warn of the biases incurred by algorithms and emphasize the need to incorporate human supervision and legal controls to avoid discrimination, in particularly when artificial intelligence is used in border controls. Final decisions must always be made by people, MEPs stress, and people subject to these types of tools must be able to appeal their decisions.
Concern about the risk of discrimination
The resolution emphasizes that many algorithm-based identification technologies make more mistakes when identifying and classifying people of race or ethnicity, LGBTI people, children and the elderly, as well as women. To guarantee respect for fundamental rights, MEPs call for algorithms to be transparent, traceable and leave a documentary trace. Whenever possible, authorities should use open source programs to also contribute to transparency.
s controversial
In the interests of privacy and human dignity, MEPs call for a permanent ban on automatic recognition systems in public spaces, making it clear that citizens should only be subjected to surveillance if they are suspected of having committed a crime . Private facial recognition databases (such as Clearview, which already works) and predictive techniques based on behavioral data should also be prohibited, adds the EP.
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MEPs also reject social scoring systems for citizens who are ranked based on their behavior or personality.
Parliament is also concerned about the use of biometric data for remote identification of people. The text specifically alludes to the iBorderCtrl project, an "intelligent lie detection system" that has been used in tests in Hungary, Latvia and Greece within the framework of controlling entries into European territory. MEPs encourage the Commission to launch infringement procedures against Member States if necessary.
Speaker's statement
Petar Vitanov (S&D, Bulgaria) said: “There are no conditions for respecting fundamental rights. For the first time, we are calling for a moratorium on the deployment of facial recognition systems in the police arena, as the technology has proven ineffective and often discriminatory. We are against behavioral prediction techniques based on artificial intelligence, as well as biometric data processing for mass surveillance. It is a victory for the citizens.