Federal Bureau of Investigation is to be allowed to use facial recognition software
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Federal Police are set to be allowed to use software for facial recognition in their investigations in the future. Several law amendments are planned to introduce these new powers, a spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior told the news agency AFP.
"The security authorities need up-to-date powers to quickly and effectively identify and locate suspects and potential threats, particularly in the areas of terrorism and serious and organized crime," the ministry spokesperson explained. Therefore, "new powers for biometric internet matching of image data and automated analysis of police data should be created."
As an example of application, the spokesperson mentioned image material "in the area of Islamic terrorism," such as "execution or torture videos." Here, the use of tools like facial recognition software "can help identify and locate a person."
Biometric features can include not only the face but also the voice or gait of a person. The spokesperson emphasized that the legislative proposal is not about "real-time surveillance and real-time facial recognition in public spaces." Such powers are not covered by the draft bill.
The proposed legislation allows the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police to utilize facial recognition software in their investigations, aiding in the swift identification and location of suspects in terrorism and serious crime cases. This software can be beneficial in analyzing execution or torture videos in the context of Islamic terrorism, helping to identify and locate individuals.
