Facial Recognition May Spur EU Down Path to New Privacy Laws

The European Union needs new laws to ensure facial recognition technology use protects citizens’ privacy, company, academic and government officials said at a conference in Brussels.

One new law should require that facial recognition technology developers let third parties conduct tests to assess privacy risks, Cornelia Kutterer, a Microsoft Corp. senior director, said at the 13th Computers, Privacy & Data Protection Conference.

The comments highlight the unease in the EU about the privacy risks of automated facial recognition. The European Commission is due to publish its final proposed strategy on artificial intelligence, including facial recognition, in mid-February.

The idea of ...