European Digital Rights (EDRi) is asking the European Union to ban all forms of biometric mass surveillance. The organization’s latest paper also calls for the suspension of any such programs that are already in place, noting that biometric surveillance is currently being explored in at least 15 EU member states.

EDRi is a digital rights collective that includes 44 civil and digital rights organizations, all of which signed off on the latest missive. They argue that biometric surveillance would violate people’s fundamental right to privacy, increase civic mistrust, suppress freedom of expression, and lead to widespread discrimination...

The organization is asking the EU and its member states to pass legislation that explicitly bans the use of biometric mass surveillance, and to drop any legislation that would legalize it. It is also asking governments to stop providing funds for the testing or development of surveillance technology, and to disclose the use of any technologies that could be leveraged for those ends...

While the European Union was reportedly considering a temporary facial recognition ban earlier in the year, those plans were eventually dropped from the final draft of a European Commission white paper. Facial recognition bans have already been passed in several U.S. municipalities...