Google boss calls for temporary ban on facial recognition technology
Google chief executive Sundar Pichai has lent his support to a proposed temporary EU ban on facial recognition technology, over concerns it could be misused.
“I think it is important that governments and regulations tackle it sooner rather than later and gives a framework for it,” said Pichai at a conference in Brussels today.
The statement was among Pichai’s first appearances since being made chief executive of both Google and its parent company Alphabet, after founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page stepped down last month.
The European Commission is set to take a tougher line on regulation of artificial intelligence, according to a proposal seen by Reuters. One element of the changes would include a moratorium of up to five years on using facial recognition technology in public areas, in order to provide ample time for authorities to work out how to prevent abuses.
The move follows widespread outrage last autumn after it was revealed King’s Cross Station in London had been using such technology for two years, without central oversight from the Metropolitan Police or City Hall.
“It can be immediate but maybe there’s a waiting period before we really think about how it’s being used,” Pichai said of the potential ban. “It’s up to governments to charter the course.”
Pichai said regulators should tailor rules to different sectors, as those which govern self-driving cars would require a different approach to those in public closed-circuit television systems.
“Sensible regulation must also take a proportionate approach, balancing potential harms with social opportunities. This is especially true in areas that are high risk and high value,” he said.
The US government published regulatory guidance on authorities’ use of facial recognition technology earlier this month, and urged EU lawmakers to avoid being overly aggressive when forming its own rulebook.
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