Gérald Darmanin wants to generalize facial recognition and create "a working group"

Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin will launch a "working group" on facial recognition, which he hopes to implement in France, the minister's entourage announced on Friday, May 23.

The goal is to "create a legal framework" that will allow "this measure to be incorporated into our legislation," the same source said. The composition of this working group, which will be set up "in the coming weeks," remains to be determined.

The use of algorithmic video surveillance (VSA) was tested "on an experimental and temporary basis" during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games but remains illegal for identifying or tracking a person "live".

On the other hand, in the current state of the legislation, its use is permitted if it involves the retrospective analysis of images already recorded and, according to the National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties (CNIL) "for the purposes of judicial investigations, subject to compliance with a certain number of conditions set out in the Code of Criminal Procedure".

On May 5, in an interview on the YouTube channel, Mr. Darmanin expressed his interest in using facial recognition to combat insecurity. According to the minister, this would also facilitate boarding at airports.

"People say that it takes an hour and a half to get through at Roissy, and 10 minutes in Dubai. Yes, but in Dubai, there's facial recognition," Mr. Darmanin argued.

He denounced "a paranoia about technology, public freedoms, the issue of files" which, according to him, prevents the use of facial recognition.

On his X account, Mr. Darmanin wrote that "using technology and facial recognition are the solutions to drastically combat insecurity." "Unfortunately, Parliament has always opposed it until now. We must all evolve for the safety of the French people," he added.