DDC Assembly 3: Who Watches Us? A Citizens’ Assembly on the Limits of AI-Powered Surveillance

How far should public safety justify the use of facial recognition technology?  

2nd September 9:00-18:00
MagNet Közösségi Ház, Budapest, Andrássy út 98, 1062

READ THE REPORT OF THE ASSEMBLY

In recent years, facial recognition, surveillance and analytical technologies had become part of our everyday lives, giving the state unprecedented capabilities to identify and track its citizens and collect information about them. While people expected the state to protect them from genuine threats, constant surveillance could affect how they exercised their fundamental rights: for example, whether they felt safe attending a protest or organising to defend their interests. Facial recognition could also easily become a tool of deliberate and overt oppression. One of the most important questions of our time was where we drew the line: what justified the use of facial recognition technologies, and how could we prevent their abuse?

Until then, these questions had been considered almost exclusively by governments, public authorities, technology companies and legal experts. Those who were subject to surveillance had been given a voice far less often. Yet the consequences of surveillance could not be assessed solely from a legal or technological perspective. That was why we were organising a Citizens’ Assembly, bringing together expert knowledge and the lived experiences of citizens. Invited experts would help participants understand how these systems worked, what risks they posed, what safeguards were in place, and what interests needed to be balanced. Participants would then develop their own position on the democratic limits of state surveillance.

The Citizens’ Assembly would also have a European dimension, with international participants and discussions addressing questions of facial recognition and state surveillance across Europe. Most parts of the programme would take place in English.

This Citizens’ Assembly was not a one-day event, but the beginning of a longer process. We would directly incorporate the principles and recommendations developed by the participants into our future work on law reform and the enforcement of rights, ensuring that the concerns, needs and perspectives of citizens finally had a meaningful place in policy debates.

2nd September 9:00-18:00

Schedule:

9:00-12:30 Lectures, reflections
Máté Szabó (TASZ Director of Programs) – Summary of AI-based facial recognition
Pete Fussey (Professor at the University of Southampton) – How does facial recognition technology operate?
Karolina Iwanska (Legal Officer at the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law) – European Union regulation (AI act)

12:30-13:15 Lunch break

13:15-18:00 Workshop: joint exploration of the topic, collection of opinions, brainstorming

READ THE REPORT OF THE ASSEMBLY

This event was part of the European Democratic Digital Commons project, which brings people together through citizens’ assemblies and collective discussions to explore how we can shape a more democratic future for digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Join the project’s Discord community and be part of the European conversation!

This event was co-funded by the European Union’s CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) programme, as part of the Democratic Digital Commons project. The programme aims to strengthen digital rights and involve citizens in AI governance.