GYLA Calls for Investigation into Facial Recognition Surveillance
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
The Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), a leading legal watchdog, has urged the Personal Data Protection Service to investigate the Ministry of Interior's use of facial recognition cameras, warning that the practice poses a serious threat to fundamental rights.
In a statement, GYLA argued that the use of remote biometric technologies for law enforcement undermines democratic freedoms, including privacy, data protection, freedom of expression, and the right to assembly. The organization compared the surveillance practices to those employed by autocratic regimes, highlighting the risks of mass monitoring.
According to GYLA, the Public Safety Command Center-112, a department within the Ministry of the Interior, recently purchased 30 cameras with facial recognition capabilities. The acquisition was reportedly made after the agency's director cited damage to 115 surveillance cameras in central Tbilisi during last year's protests.
"The use of such cameras, in practice, for human rights violations is widespread in autocratic and totalitarian regimes," the watchdog stated, citing Human Rights Watch's concerns about the impact of biometric surveillance. GYLA stressed that these technologies not only violate the right to privacy but also suppress freedoms of expression and association.
GYLA has called for an immediate inspection to determine whether the Ministry of Internal Affairs has conducted a data protection impact assessment and adhered to legal standards on data processing and security. The organization specifically seeks clarity on whether access to facial recognition data stored in electronic databases aligns with personal data protection laws.
The debate over biometric surveillance in Georgia has intensified following last year's pro-European protests. GYLA noted a sharp increase in the use of facial recognition cameras after November 28, particularly targeting protesters who blocked roads. The watchdog claims that authorities have relied almost exclusively on facial recognition images as evidence in court cases, often without verifying the legality of identification methods or whether officials had proper authorization to access sensitive databases.
Concerns over mass surveillance have added to broader fears of an authoritarian drift in Georgia. On February 6, RFE/RL's Tbilisi bureau published a report highlighting the rapid deployment of surveillance cameras across the country and the lack of transparency in their oversight.
