AD says facial recognition technology proposal is ‘premature’

Alternattiva Demokratika has voiced its concern over the government plans to introduce CCTV cameras equipped with facial recognition technology.

The government last month announced plans for a pilot project to help authorities control “anti-social behaviour” in Paceville, with the possibility of extending the system to other problematic areas, if the project is successful.   

“"The Prime Minister's confirmation through several speeches that government wants to install face recognition technology around Malta in a partnership between state owned company Safe City Malta and the Chinese company Huawei, is worrying,” AD’s Digital Society spokesperson Daniel Desira said.

He said that such a technology would create an “imbalance between the sense of safety and privacy of people”, even more so when the technology is used to monitor people indiscriminately.

Discussions on which entity will be manning the CCTV system, which may not necessarily involve the Maltese police force, are yet to take place.

AD is calling for a “serious public consultation exercise” that will determine the parameters and limits to be placed on the use of the technology.

“The technology can be beneficial in situations of serious crimes and in specific places, and if its use is strictly regulated and is very limited,” Desira said.

He added however that “if used indiscriminately and to monitor people in normal day-to-day situations it can also be used as a tool for control and repression”.

AD went on to explain that such technology gives the state more information on its citizens. Moreover, it said the technology is still highly inaccurate.

“Government has already announced that this technology will be piloted in Paceville and subsequently in Marsa, without any consultation whatsoever and without saying how the use of this invasive technology will be controlled,” AD said.

“Invasive technology of this kind treats everyone as if they were some potential terrorist or criminal.”

It said that the knowledge that one might be being watched could discourage civic participation in protests, for example.

“Public peace, and problems of a social nature should be managed by highly trained community workers and police-trained community policing practices.

"It is not fair to have an indiscriminate invasion of privacy on a large scale on people who are just getting on with their lives and are not involved in any criminal acts,” AD chairman Carmel Cacopardo said.

He said that as already pointed out, the measure went diametrically

Moreover, as already pointed out by some experts, this measure goes diametrically against Maltese law on data protection.

“It is also worrying that database with the faces of people will end up used by a Chinese private company,” Cacopardo. “The government is apparently borrowing ideas from China, a country known for the lack of respect for human rights.”

He said that “the very fact that the Maltese government is proposing technologies used by the Chinese regime to control its citizens, as if it is a normal thing to do is disturbing”.

Cacopardo added that the leader of the Opposition “rushing to agree” with the use of the technology without mentioning any limits or controls was not surprising, given the PN’s “rush to the right of the political spectrum”.