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AI Facial Recognition: A Threat to Privacy?

June 13, 2025

Facial recognition is now part of daily life – unlocking phones, verifying identities, and helping law enforcement. But in government hands, it can become a serious threat to privacy and civil liberties.

Digital 2025 | Shift - Technologie zwischen Überwachung und Datenschutz
Image: Artlist
Image: Artlist

How governments use AI-powered facial recognition for surveillance

Without strict legal safeguards, facial recognition technology poses serious risks – from misidentification and data misuse to a lack of oversight. In authoritarian regimes, it becomes a tool of state surveillance.

 

Image: IMAGO

How facial recognition cameras identify you with AI 

Facial recognition cameras use artificial intelligence to identify individuals based on unique facial features. But what technologies power this process – and how does it actually work?

 

Image: Artlist

How police use AI facial recognition to track down suspects

Police around the world use facial recognition technology to identify suspects. AI suggests potential matches from databases – but a human officer ultimately decides if the match is correct.

 

Facial recognition at protests in Hungary?

Surveillance concerns are growing in Hungary. At demonstrations, facial recognition could be used to monitor minority groups and activists. But do such practices violate EU protections for freedom of expression?

 

Image: Artlist

Is China’s facial recognition data for sale?

China operates over 700 million surveillance cameras, using facial recognition to identify individuals across the country. But with such vast data collection – who can access this information, and how is it used?

 

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