Gérald Darmanin wants to dispel doubts about the way in which law enforcement agencies use video surveillance. The minister announced on Monday that he had requested an administrative investigation into the use of facial recognition by the Interior Ministry.
The Minister of the Interior was reacting to the publication of information from the investigative website Disclose according to which the police were using video surveillance software published by BriefCam, one of the features of which allows facial recognition.
Software used "under the authority of a magistrate"
"We use BriefCam like other software, but under the authority of a magistrate," he explained on France 5. "But," he added, "no, as far as I know, we don't use facial recognition."
Stressing that the General Directorate of the National Police had recalled in February the ban on the use of facial recognition, Gérald Darmanin announced that he had "asked for an administrative investigation within three months", so that, he said, "there is no doubt".
The CNIL, the independent authority that guardians the privacy of the French, announced last Wednesday the launch of a "control procedure" targeting the Ministry of the Interior after the publication of the Disclose investigation.
- Society
- Gérald Darmanin
- Video
- Police
- Video surveillance
- Facial Recognition