Commissioner: Legally Regulate Gathering of Biometric Data from Surveillance Cameras

FOTO: BETA/AMIR HAMZAGIC

Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection Milan Marinovic said on June 6 that he was in favor of the area of gathering biometric data from video surveillance of public spaces being regulated in such a way that "policy makers and legislators" ensure the protection of citizens' right to privacy.

Addressing a conference on biometric data and video surveillance of public spaces, Marinovic said the use of facial recognition cameras and the processing of biometric data from video surveillance of public areas had not been legally regulated yet. He also said, "We have extreme use of artificial intelligence worldwide," and that "it's one thing if such cameras are controlled by man, and another if they are controlled by artificial intelligence."

Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Interior Milica Bondzic said the applicable Law on Police "provides grounds" for processing data from biometric surveillance cameras and that the Interior Ministry "does not go beyond the legal grounds for using such technology." According to her, the Interior Ministry proposes that certain amendments to the law be made and that data processing "does not happen in real time but subsequently," with the approval of a preliminary proceedings judge or a prosecutor's office. 

German Ambassador to Serbia Anke Konrad said the use of biometric surveillance cameras was a subject the European Union was also dealing with and that balance was sought between citizens wanting to be protected from criminal activities and at the same time wanting private data not to be abused.