- Herrmann seeks a warrant utilizing biometric facial recognition technology.
Bavaria's Interior Minister, Joachim Herrmann (CSU), wants to amplify the use of AI in recognizing people's faces in public areas. Presently, this practice is heavily regulated by law. "The cops desperately require more ways to utilize biometric facial recognition for criminal probes," Herrmann mentioned.
Previously, the "Munich Mercury" and Bavarian Broadcasting disclosed this plan. The objective is to utilize surveillance cameras in public spaces, like train stations, and analyze footage with AI to pinpoint possible offenders.
Herrmann declared that facial recognition possesses significant potential for law enforcement, as indicated by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office's analysis. At the moment, the application of specialized facial recognition tech is only practical when comparing images of unidentified suspects with the nationwide wanted list.
"Last year, our State Criminal Police Office dealt with over 4,600 cases involving facial recognition software during criminal investigations. In approximately 1,200 instances, matches occurred with individuals already acknowledged by the police, yielding valuable extra clues for the probes," Herrmann added.
The opposition voiced their concerns about this initiative. SPD interior policy spokesman Horst Arnold commented, "Minister Herrmann is attempting to divert attention from the current critical failure of Bavarian police in tracking down four fugitives from a psychiatric facility in Straubing." The criminals remain at large.
Arnold also highlighted that establishing a legal basis for implementing real-time facial recognition is incredibly challenging due to the substantial impact on everyone's fundamental rights.
Green party parliamentary group leader Katharina Schulze stated, "In Bavaria, we desire all people to live freely and securely. To achieve this, we must empower our security authorities to employ new and advantageous technologies. However, I have reservations regarding invading people's privacy. Thus, we must continually strive to find the correct balance between security and the protection of personal privacy. Minister Herrmann's demand, in my opinion, does not guarantee this balance."
Herrmann criticized a bill proposed by the Federal Ministry of the Interior for biometric matching of wanted images with public photos, stating that it completely disregards real-time facial recognition in public spaces. "Excessive data protection should not result in protecting criminals from prosecution," Herrmann argued. In Herrmann's view, such use would be legally permissible according to EU directives.
The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office has seen a significant use of facial recognition software in over 4,600 cases last year, with approximately 1,200 matches found with individuals already known to the police. To further enhance this practice, Joachim Herrmann suggests amping up the use of AI in facilitating facial recognition in public areas.
Despite facing opposition due to privacy concerns, Herrmann advocates for the legal permissibility of using real-time facial recognition in public spaces, as he believes it aligns with EU directives and won't hinder criminal investigations.
