Automated Facial Recognition Technology in Law Enforcement Sector: The Case of The Right to The Protection of Personal Data

Technological advancement is undoubtedly shaping current legal system. Artificial Intelligence (hereinafter ‘the AI’) has a considerable effect on both, its public and private actors. The former are seeking to employ newly developed algorithms in order to strengthen effectiveness of existing laws and their subsequent enforcement. The latter are more focused on the profit, hence, for instance, exploring how AI increases production efficiency.
This article focuses on the technology called Automated Facial Recognition (hereinafter ‘the AFR’). Being based on AI, it is used by the law enforcement agencies in, for instance, predictions of the extent to which an individual is inclined to commit a specific crime, detecting wanted fugitives and searching for people who were declared to be missing. Accordingly, being integrated in cameras around the city, this technology analyses different features of individual’s face (e.g., eyes, mouth, specific region of the face as a whole, etc.) to achieve specific goals set by law enforcement agents.