Fair Trials joins European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, La Quadrature du Net, Amnesty International France and 30+ other civil society organisations to call out plans to use invasive AI surveillance at the Paris Olympics 2024. We express our deep concern regarding Article 7 of the proposed law on the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This provision creates a legal basis for the use of algorithm-driven cameras to detect specific suspicious events in public spaces.
The proposal paves the way for the use of invasive algorithm-driven video surveillance under the pretext of securing big events. Under this law, France would become the first EU member state to explicitly legalise such practices. We believe that the proposed surveillance measures violate international human rights law as they contravene the principles of necessity and proportionality, and pose unacceptable risks to fundamental rights, such as the right to privacy, the freedom of assembly and association, and the right to non-discrimination. The measure also risks colliding with the future EU AI Act.
Read the full letter here (in English).
Read the full letter here (in French).
Signatories:
- Access Now Global
- AlgoRace, Spain
- AlgorithmWatch, Germany
- AlgorithmWatch CH, Switzerland
- Amnesty International, Global
- ApTI, Romania
- ARTICLE 19, Global
- Association Nationale des Supporters, France
- Big Brother Watch, UK
- Bits of Freedom, The Netherlands
- Centre for Democracy & Technology, Europe
- Chaos Computer Club Lëtzebuerg, Luxembourg
- Citizen D / Državljan D, Slovenia
- Civil Liberties Union for Europe, Europe
- Deutsche Vereinigung für Datenschutz e.V. (DVD), Germany
- Digitalcourage e.V., Germany
- Digitale Gesellschaft, Switzerland
- Digitale Freiheit e.V., Germany
- Elektronisk Forpost Norge, Norway
- Eticas Tech, Spain
- European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting (ECNL), Europe
- European Digital Rights, Europe
- Fair Trials, Global
- Forum Civique Européen, France/Europe
- Football Supporters Europe, Europe
- Homo Digitalis, Greece
- Human Rights Watch, International
- Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Ireland
- IT-Pol, Denmark
- Iuridicum Remedium, Czech Republic
- Liberty, UK
- Panoptykon Foundation, Poland
- Privacy International, Global
- Privacy Network, Italy
- Share Foundation, Serbia
- Society Vrijbit, The Netherlands
- Statewatch, Europe
- Today is a new day / Danes je nov dan, Slovenia
The joint letter was coordinated by European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, La Quadrature du Net, and Amnesty International France.
