Céline Castets-Renard releases report on facial recognition and policing

Technology Law, Ethics and Policy
Representation of a balance between law and technology.
Dr. Céline Castets-Renard, a Faculty member at the University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology, and Society, just released Cadre juridique applicable à l’utilisation de la reconnaissance faciale par les forces de police dans l’espace public au Québec et au Canada: Éléments de comparaison avec les États-Unis et l’Europe, a new report offering a comparative study on facial recognition and policing.
Cover of the report "Cadre juridique applicable à l’utilisation de la reconnaissance faciale par les forces de police dans l’espace public au Québec et au Canada: Éléments de comparaison avec les États-Unis et l’Europe."

Prepared under the supervision of Dr. Céline Castets-Renard, this study highlights and presents the main issues of the use of facial recognition technology by police forces in the public space in Quebec and Canada and the applicable legal framework, in comparison with Europe and the United States. In a context where facial recognition technologies are being used more widely, it is important to conduct an analysis prior to their deployment, in order to eliminate or minimize the risks incurred, particularly to individual rights and freedoms.

The authors also offer insights and present solutions which have already been implemented to minimize the risks and intrusion of this technology on privacy, in order to set the conditions for transparency and enhance social acceptability. In addition to providing analytical data to public decision-makers, the goal of this report is to initiate discussion and exchanges with all concerned stakeholders in Quebec and Canada respectively.

Read the full report here Report is published in French only