Civil Society Urges Global Moratorium on Facial Recognition

October 23, 2019

CSISAC member the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has opened endorsement to the Public Voice Declaration: A Moratorium on Facial Recognition Technology for Mass Surveillance.


Speaking at the annual meeting of the privacy commissioners, CSISAC Steering Committee Member, and EPIC President Marc Rotenberg presented a declaration from civil society calling for a moratorium on the further deployment of facial recognition. The declaration, organized by the Public Voice coalition, has gathered the L5[support] of more than 60 organizations and many leading experts in 30 countries. The declaration calls on countries to (1) suspend the further deployment of facial recognition for mass surveillance; (2) review all facial recognition systems to determine whether personal data was obtained lawfully; (3) undertake research to assess bias and risk; and (4) establish legal rules, technical standards, and ethical guidelines before further deployment occurs. Mr. Rotenberg explained that around the world there is growing opposition to the deployment of facial recognition and urged the international data protection commissioners to act.

Civil society participants are called to endorse the call for a moratorium on Facial Recognition, consistently with the CSISAC Civil Society Principles, and the 2009 Madrid Privacy Declaration.