MPs are currently examining the bill to prepare for the Paris Olympics in 2024. Some elected officials are concerned about the installation of intelligent video surveillance, which could automatically detect suspicious behavior.
They could be the most discreet guests of the Olympic Games. So-called “intelligent” cameras, provided for by the bill for Paris 2024, would make it possible to scrutinize the surroundings of future competition venues, such as the Stade de France or the Eiffel Tower, but also public transport. Equipped with artificial intelligence, these cameras are able to detect crowd movements and suspicious behavior and report them. Exceptionally, some of these cameras are already used to monitor certain locations. With this algorithm, eight agents are enough to monitor 2,500 cameras.
Fears of widespread surveillance
But how far can this technology go? The National Commission for Computing and Liberties (Cnil) wants to be reassuring. “It’s not going to be used to see if you walked in without paying for your ticket or if you left a greasy piece of paper on the floor, but to see if you’re leaving an abandoned package that could be a bomb. Things like that guy”, explains Louis Dutheillet de Lamothe, general secretary of the Cnil. However, some associations and elected officials see it as the beginnings of generalized surveillance with facial recognition, as is practiced in China. For now, the bill provides for special use of these cameras until December 31, 2024.
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