"European parliament says it will not use facial recognition tech", 5 Feb 2020

The European parliament has insisted it has no plans to introduce facial recognition technology after a leaked internal memo discussing its use in security provoked an outcry.

A page on the European parliament’s intranet, seen by the Guardian, suggested that facial recognition could be used “in the context of biometric-based security and services to members [MEPs]”...

The incident is an embarrassment for the parliament, coming shortly before the EU executive is expected to announce a temporary ban on the use of facial recognition technology in public places.

The European commission is expected to announce the ban this month, covering the use of the technology in stations, stadiums and shopping centres and lasting three to five years, to allow regulators time to assess the impact of the fast-developing technology...

The page was removed shortly after the complaints emerged. A spokesperson said the complaint referred to “an old and outdated draft version” of “an exploratory project” that had been “misplaced on the intranet of the EP”...

“Data protection is and remains a clear priority of the European parliament and its administration.”