Facial recognition to combat crime

In this memo, the Danish Institute for Human Rights warns the Danish Parliament against allowing facial recognition technology before the technology’s potential the human rights consequences have been thoroughly examined.

Police use of facial recognition technology has recently been debated in Denmark.

“Facial recognition is a particularly intensive and intrusive method of surveillance that challenges citizens’ right to privacy and protection of personal data amongst others,” says senior legal adviser Marya Akhtar, The Danish Institute of Human Rights.

She underlines that neither the European Court of Justice nor the European Court of Human Rights has had the opportunity to review the legality of facial recognition.

The memo is also available in Danish.