Pride With Pride! Stop Mass Surveillance at Pride, Stop Face Recognition Now
Enough is enough! Mass surveillance in public spaces is becoming a reality in the European Union (EU), despite EU laws designed to protect us. As a result, our fundamental rights are under massive attack. We cannot stand by and do nothing − stop facial recognition, sign the petition now!
On 28 June, the Pride parade will take place in Budapest, Hungary. The Hungarian police is allowed to use face recognition systems even for minor offences, which include jaywalking or attending the Pride parade.[1] Anyone taking part in the Pride parade can now be identified from a distance and be punished using this technology.[2] This way, the LGBTQIA+ community in Hungary is being deliberately intimidated and criminalized. This is unacceptable!
This form of mass surveillance leads to a decline of our fundamental rights. Using intrusive surveillance technology may have a chilling effect on free speech and the right to protest freely.
Now is the time for the EU to show its teeth and enforce the AI Act, as this act prohibits face recognition in public spaces for surveillance purposes. The EU member states need to consider this a wake-up call and put an end to face recognition in public spaces.
🌈 Your Signature for a Pride With Pride 🌈
[1] https://ecnl.org/news/hungarys-new-biometric-surveillance-laws-violate-ai-act
[2] https://www.liberties.eu/f/tcbfhu
Sign petition now
What happened and what we demand:
What happened?
For a long time, it remained uncertain whether the Pride parade could take place in Budapest this year. The Hungarian government tried to stop the parade with an anti-queer law. Both the organizers and the participants of the parade could now be prosecuted on the basis of this law. Part of the amendment to the law is to authorize the Hungarian police to use face recognition systems even to detect minor offences like participating in the Pride parade.[3]
This use of live face recognition for mass surveillance in public spaces violates Article 5 of the AI Act and our fundamental rights.[4] [5] We must act swiftly to protect freedom of assembly and to put a stop to the spread of biometric mass surveillance in the EU.
We demand:
- The EU Commission must investigate and sanction the violation of European law. If Hungary gets away with such an infringement, other countries will also try to ignore the AI Act.
- The EU must act jointly and decisively to show that it will enforce its own AI and human rights rules. The protection of fundamental rights must be at the forefront of EU regulation around AI systems.
- Face recognition systems in public spaces must be banned in their entirety! The Hungarian case shows that AI systems can be misused to criminalize entire groups of people and restrict their rights. EU member states must therefore implement a comprehensive ban at the national level with no loopholes or exceptions.
🌈 Sign the Petition Now and Stop Biometric Mass Surveillance 🌈
References:
[4] https://algorithmwatch.org/en/ai-act-prohibitions-february-2025/
[5] https://edri.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Legal-analysis-FRT-in-Hungary-and-AI-Act.pdf
Initiating Organizations
«Our faces, identities & communities are under attack from this dystopian tech. People must be free to show their Pride!»ELLA JAKUBOWSKA (she/her)
Head of Policy, EUROPEAN DIGITAL RIGHTS (EDRi)
«Biometric mass surveillance must be stopped before it's too late.»Kilian Vieth-Ditlmann
Head of Policy, AlgorithmWatch
«Facial recognition surveillance has no place at peaceful protests. No one should have to give up their face to stand up for their rights.»Eva Simon
Head of tech and rights program, Civil Liberties Union for Europe e.V.
«As someone from Uganda, where LGBTQ+ people face life imprisonment or death under the Anti-Homosexuality Act, I’ve seen how quickly rights can be stripped away. The use of AI-powered facial recognition at Budapest Pride is a dangerous move toward institutionalized oppression. This technology isn’t about safety it’s about control, fear, and silencing marginalized communities. What’s happening in Hungary could become a model for anti-LGBTQ+ laws worldwide. We must act now to resist this misuse of technology and protect human rights before it’s too late.»Edward Mutebi
Let’s Walk Uganda and Queer Nothilfe Uganda
«Everybody should be free to express themselves without fear of retaliation at work, in community activities, or society. EPSU supports the petition and marches with the Hungarian LGBTQ+ community! Solidarity with Pride!.»Jan Willem Goudriaan
General Secretary, European Public Services union EPSU
