Privacy NGO Criticizes Expansion of Video Surveillance

"Following the controversial decision on the federal Trojan, the Ministry of the Interior apparently wants to immediately take the next step against the privacy of the population," said the privacy NGO epicenter.works in a statement on Monday.

Interior Ministry wants to massively expand video surveillance

On Sunday, Karner announced in an APA interview that video surveillance could be used at a three-digit number of locations in the future, instead of the current 20. This is to be made possible by a new decree. So far, video surveillance can only be used in public places where dangerous attacks have already occurred. The new decree is intended to extend this option to places where "there are indications of future dangerous attacks or recognizable criminal structures based on the security police's assessment and a risk forecast".

There was strong criticism from epicenter.works: The vast majority of people in the more than 100 public places to be monitored in the future have done nothing wrong and would still be monitored in their daily lives. Especially in times of AI, automated facial recognition has become very easy for security authorities. "This allows the Ministry of the Interior to create movement profiles of the population or even of demonstrations at the push of a button," said the privacy advocates.

Expansion of video surveillance "unprecedentedly excessive" for privacy NGO

"Such an approach during the summer recess of the National Council - without concrete justification, without scientific evidence, without prior debate, and only through a unilateral decree of the Ministry of the Interior - is unprecedentedly excessive," emphasized privacy expert Thomas Lohninger. "Video surveillance in public spaces requires a proportionality test in each individual case, instead of an order from the Interior Minister to expand it."

The NGO referred to a ruling by the Constitutional Court (VfGH) on Section Control, according to which continuous surveillance of public spaces could negatively impact fundamental rights and be unconstitutional. "The provisions in the Security Police Act regarding video surveillance lack any sensitivity to fundamental rights," said epicenter.works.

A clean legal basis for AI-supported facial recognition is missing, as is contemporary legal protection. The privacy advocates urgently called for a reform of the laws, not least because of the "long overdue" implementation of the EU's AI Act. There was also criticism of the coalition parties SPÖ and NEOS, who "had been strong critics of such surveillance fantasies of the ÖVP for years in opposition" and now "seem to have abandoned all their previous positions in government".

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.