Close Menu
Stratnews GlobalStratnews Global
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Researchers Identify Four Autism Subtypes, Opening Doors for Personalised Care
    • Bitcoin Soars to Record on Institutional Demand, Ether Also Rises Sharply
    • Kyiv Allocates $6.2 Million to Launch Drone Interceptor Programme Against Russian Attacks
    • Chang’e-6 Samples Reveal Moon’s Far Side Secrets and Volcanic Past
    • Airbus to Build Two PAZ-2 Radar Satellites for Spain’s Defence Ministry
    • India and Mexico Explore Industry 5.0 Synergies Following Digital Empowerment Summit 2025
    • Britain Invests €163 Million in Eutelsat to Challenge Starlink in Europe
    • A New Foreign Policy Playbook?
    Stratnews GlobalStratnews Global
    Write for Us
    Saturday, July 12
    • Space
    • Science
    • AI and Robotics
    • Industry News
    Stratnews GlobalStratnews Global
    Home » AI Surveillance at Paris Olympics Raises Privacy Concerns

    AI Surveillance at Paris Olympics Raises Privacy Concerns

    Resham BhambaniBy Resham BhambaniJune 12, 2024Updated:June 26, 2024 AI and Robotics No Comments3 Mins Read
    AI Surveillance

    AI Surveillance for Paris Olympics Sparks Privacy Concerns

    French plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor athletes, coaches, and spectators at the Paris Olympics have raised privacy concerns among rights groups. These groups view the technology as a form of creeping surveillance.

    AI Surveillance Testing in France

    French authorities have recently tested AI surveillance systems at train stations, concerts, and football matches. During the Olympics, these systems will scan crowds for abandoned packages, detect weapons, and more. Although these tools will not be fully operational before the games, police, fire and rescue services, and some transport security agents will use them until March 31, 2025.

    Rights groups fear that AI surveillance could become the new norm. Katia Roux, advocacy lead at Amnesty International France, stated, “The Olympics are a huge opportunity to test this type of surveillance under the guise of security issues, paving the way to more intrusive systems like facial recognition.”

    Companies and Metrics

    The French government has enlisted four companies for this effort: Videtics, Orange Business, ChapsVision, and Wintics. These security platforms measure eight key metrics: traffic against the flow, people in prohibited zones, crowd movement, abandoned packages, weapon detection, overcrowding, a body on the ground, and fire.

    The software has been tested at events like Depeche Mode and Black-Eyed Peas concerts, a Paris Saint-Germain soccer match, and at metro stations during Taylor Swift’s visit. The Cannes Film Festival, which attracts 40,000 attendees, was another test site. Cannes Mayor David Lisnard noted that the town already has the densest video protection network in France, with 884 cameras.

    Surveillance Infrastructure Concerns

    France has around 90,000 video surveillance cameras monitored by the police and gendarmerie. Daniel Leufer, a senior policy analyst at digital rights group AccessNow, expressed concerns about the potential for these systems to evolve into more invasive forms of mass surveillance.

    “While these use cases may not seem to reveal individual identities, they still require a surveillance infrastructure that could easily be updated for more invasive surveillance,” Leufer warned.

    Legal and Ethical Implications

    French lawmakers have banned facial recognition, promising it is a red line not to be crossed. However, privacy campaigners argue that exceptions in the legislation allow for its deployment by competent authorities for purposes like national security and migration. Roux emphasised that such exceptions could lead to misuse.

    Historical use of surveillance has added to these concerns. In November, non-profit Disclose found that French law enforcement had covertly used facial recognition software from Israeli company Briefcam since 2015.

    Future of AI Surveillance

    Senator Agnes Canayer acknowledged that AI-driven video surveillance might not be fully optimal during the Olympics, requiring additional security forces to compensate for its shortcomings. The Ministry of the Interior did not respond to requests for comment.

    The government’s Law Commission has suggested continuing the experimental basis of the technology and extending the retention period of captured images to test the equipment over different seasons and events.

    Roux concluded, “We need to campaign and raise awareness about facial recognition now. If we wait until it is used, it will be too late.”

    Author

    • Resham Bhambani
      Resham Bhambani

      Research Associate at Interstellar.| China Scholar | China Social Media & Foreign Affairs|

      View all posts
    Featured
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email Reddit Telegram WhatsApp
    Resham Bhambani
    • X (Twitter)

    Research Associate at Interstellar.| China Scholar | China Social Media & Foreign Affairs|

    Keep Reading

    Researchers Identify Four Autism Subtypes, Opening Doors for Personalised Care

    Bitcoin Soars to Record on Institutional Demand, Ether Also Rises Sharply

    Kyiv Allocates $6.2 Million to Launch Drone Interceptor Programme Against Russian Attacks

    Chang’e-6 Samples Reveal Moon’s Far Side Secrets and Volcanic Past

    Airbus to Build Two PAZ-2 Radar Satellites for Spain’s Defence Ministry

    India and Mexico Explore Industry 5.0 Synergies Following Digital Empowerment Summit 2025

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Latest Posts

    Researchers Identify Four Autism Subtypes, Opening Doors for Personalised Care

    July 11, 2025

    Bitcoin Soars to Record on Institutional Demand, Ether Also Rises Sharply

    July 11, 2025

    Kyiv Allocates $6.2 Million to Launch Drone Interceptor Programme Against Russian Attacks

    July 11, 2025

    Chang’e-6 Samples Reveal Moon’s Far Side Secrets and Volcanic Past

    July 11, 2025

    Airbus to Build Two PAZ-2 Radar Satellites for Spain’s Defence Ministry

    July 11, 2025

    India and Mexico Explore Industry 5.0 Synergies Following Digital Empowerment Summit 2025

    July 11, 2025

    Britain Invests €163 Million in Eutelsat to Challenge Starlink in Europe

    July 11, 2025

    A New Foreign Policy Playbook?

    July 10, 2025

    Linda Yaccarino Resigns as X CEO Amid Rising AI and Platform Challenges

    July 9, 2025

    Nvidia Becomes First to Reach $4 Trillion, Leading the AI Charge

    July 9, 2025

    Subscribe to News

    Get the latest sports news from NewsSite about world, sports and politics.

    • Astronomical Events
    • Space Missions
    • Industry News
    • Science
    StratNewsGlobal Tech
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
    © 2025 StratNews Global, A unit of BharatShakti Communications LLP
    • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Copyright
    • Contact
    • Write for Us

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.