We suspected it. But today’s confirmation is no less shocking. Not only because of the scale of the technology’s deployment, with Briefcam licenses covering several "départements". But also in view of the cover-ups by senior civil servants and politicians of this highly sensitive project.
La Quadrature du Net
AI is bound to radically transform the political economy of video-surveillance, which is why we reject solutions such as Briefcam’s. Even in the context of judicial investigations, the government should at the very least provide a clear legal basis for its use.
Equally shocking is the widespread sense of impunity revealed by this affair.
Officials deliberately maintained secrecy for fear of controversy, knowing prefectly well that they were outside the law.