NRW: Data protection commissioner Gayk warns of surveillance state

In the discussions about stricter laws to protect against terrorist attacks, the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bettina Gayk, urges caution. It is certain that "the privacy of many innocent people will also be affected" if the police are given more powers to use facial recognition software for searches. So far, the draft has been limited to police authorities. The plans have already been welcomed by the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst.

According to Gayk, it is important to maintain the balance between freedom and security. "Exploring this remains important if we don't want to slip into a surveillance state," says Gayk. It is therefore important to describe "precise and narrow limits for such a search instrument" if mass data collection in public spaces is to be permitted.

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) is planning a law that would give the authorities new search options. In particular, it would enable the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office to search the internet for images and photos – using artificial intelligence and biometrics.

Do not neglect data protection

Data protection experts repeatedly warn that data protection and the right to privacy should not be neglected, especially in light of current developments "Data protection is not an end in itself," explains Gayk and calls for precise limits to be placed on such methods. She is thus clearly positioning herself against a hasty expansion of state surveillance measures and emphasizes the need to further protect civil liberties.

Bavaria wants to be a role model

Data protectionists have long warned that the presumption of innocence would be lost if the police were able to use AI to search through huge amounts of data.

While Bavaria's police are already planning to use the Vera software (cross-procedural research and analysis platform), which exists specifically for this purpose, and data protectionists and civil society are criticizing these plans and the error-prone nature of such systems, Bavaria is already coming up with new plans. The state's Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann, is calling for the use of real-time facial recognition for Bavaria. However, the Federal Ministry of the Interior is not pursuing such plans.

According to Herrmann, the police urgently need more options for investigating criminals, including biometric facial recognition. He plans to use all the cameras already installed in train stations or large squares for this purpose.

(mack)