Editorial: Le Monde

• The Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez, is in favor of extending the use of the algorithmic video surveillance that was tested during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• This system, which does not use facial recognition, is used to detect abnormal activities that could indicate an attempted terrorist attack.
• The capability of this system to detect crimes is disputed and its previous usage has not been publicly evaluated.
• Nuñez argues that this system would be useful for smaller events where large security forces cannot be deployed.
• The use of this technology could lead to the acceptance of more intrusive surveillance technologies, like facial recognition.
• Any implementation of new surveillance tools requires transparency and discussion of its results.

Conclusion: The legalization of algorithmic video surveillance should not be approved without a thorough review of the report that the government is due to present to Parliament before December 31st.

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