French privacy watchdog calls for clearer rules on smart cameras

 

French privacy watchdog CNIL is calling for an update of the regulatory framework on surveillance devices so it can accommodate the rise in so-called “smart cameras”.

Read the original French article here.

The use of cameras using Artificial Intelligence (AI) software has grown in recent years, with cameras being installed on public highways to monitor traffic in real-time or at shopping centres to adapt the layout of shops or advertising panels.

These so-called “augmented” or “smart” cameras that process images using AI without uniquely identifying a person, while not prohibited under French law, would need to be accompanied by an updated framework, CNIL said in an opinion published Tuesday (19 July).

Biometric cameras and video surveillance devices in places not open to the public, like offices and shop warehouses, were excluded from the study. Cameras intended for home use and time-shifted image processing were also excluded. (...)