France: the new law on the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games threatens human rights

France proposed a new law on the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (projet de loi relatif aux jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024) which would legitimize the use of invasive algorithm-driven video surveillance under the pretext of “securing big events”. This new French law would create a legal basis for scanning public spaces to detect specific suspicious events.

Nikolett Aszódi
Policy & Advocacy Manager
Estelle Pannatier
Policy & Advocacy Manager, AlgorithmWatch CH

AlgorithmWatch together with 37 civil society organizations has sent a public letter to the French National Assembly expressing our deep concern regarding the proposal. We believe that the proposed surveillance measures violate international human rights law as they contravene the principles of necessity and proportionality, and pose unacceptable risks to fundamental rights, such as the right to privacy, the freedom of assembly and association, and the right to non-discrimination.

Furthermore, this law would also set a dangerous precedent for other European countries to legalise a range of risky biometric surveillance practices. We request the French National Assembly to reject the provision that allows for algorithm-driven video surveillance.

Signatories

Access Now, Global

AlgoRace, Spain

AlgorithmWatch, Germany

AlgorithmWatch CH, Switzerland

Amnesty International, Global

ApTI, Romania

ARTICLE 19, Global

Association Nationale des Supporters, France

Big Brother Watch, UK

Bits of Freedom, The Netherlands

Centre for Democracy & Technology, Europe

Chaos Computer Club Lëtzebuerg, Luxembourg

Citizen D / Državljan D, Slovenia

Civil Liberties Union for Europe, Europe

Deutsche Vereinigung für Datenschutz e.V. (DVD), Germany

Digitalcourage e.V., Germany

Digitale Gesellschaft, Switzerland

Digitale Freiheit e.V., Germany

Elektronisk Forpost Norge, Norway

Eticas Tech, Spain

European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting (ECNL), Europe

European Digital Rights, Europe

Fair Trials, Global

Forum Civique Européen, France/Europe

Football Supporters Europe, Europe

Homo Digitalis, Greece

Human Rights Watch, International

Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Ireland

IT-Pol, Denmark

Iuridicum Remedium, Czech Republic

Liberty, UK

Panoptykon Foundation, Poland

Privacy International, Global

Privacy Network, Italy

Share Foundation, Serbia

Society Vrijbit, The Netherlands

Statewatch, Europe

Today is a new day / Danes je nov dan, Slovenia