Post by Homo Digitalis

🚨 Major victory for data protection & fundamental rights 🚨 The Hellenic Data Protection Authority has declared the Hellenic Police’s “Smart Policing” system unlawful, explicitly warning against its activation. 🔍 What happened? In 2019, a €4 million contract (💶 75% EU-funded) was signed for 1,000 “smart” police devices enabling facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, and document & licence-plate scanning during on-the-spot checks. 🛑 What went wrong? In December 2019, Homo Digitalis raised serious concerns about legality and data protection. After unanswered access-to-documents requests, we filed a complaint with the HDPA in March 2020. 📜 The outcome On 31 December 2025, the HDPA issued Decision 45/2025, finding: ▪️ No valid legal basis for the system, ▪️ No timely Data Protection Impact Assessment for the system's pilot phase, ▪️ Any operational use would amount to unlawful processing of personal data ⚖️ Why this matters Six years later, our concerns have been fully vindicated. At the same time, this case exposes the waste of €4 million in public and European funds on a system that could never lawfully operate. 💡 The takeaway Every day an unlawful surveillance system is kept out of use, people are protected. This case is a clear reminder that legality, transparency, and accountability must come first, especially when high-risk technologies are funded with public money. European Digital Rights European AI & Society Fund #DataProtection #DigitalRights #PublicAccountability #EUFunds #Surveillance #RuleOfLaw

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