In a press release dated 23 April 2021, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), Wojciech Wiewiórowski, welcomed the Commission’s proposal for a new regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act – → separate news item). The EDPS especially recognised the merit of a risk-based approach concerning the future-proof definition of AI that the Commission adopted in its proposal.

The EDPS also stressed the importance of a ban on remote biometric identification in the public and expressed his regret that the previous calls for a moratorium on the use of remote biometric identification systems in publicly accessible spaces have not been addressed by the Commission. Wiewiórowski remarked that the use of remote biometric identifications that results in automatic recognition of human features in public spaces could present “extremely high risks of deep and non-democratic intrusion into individuals’ private lives”. For the discussion on a ban of AI technology enabling biometric mass surveillance → see seperate news item.

In order to support the Commission in strengthening the protection of individual rights, the EDPS will analyse the proposal of the new regulation.