Sweden wants to pass bill allowing police to use AI for facial recognition
On March 20th, the Swedish government put forward a proposal to allow local police to use a real-time facial recognition system using artificial intelligence (AI) to combat crime. Authorities in the northern European country are looking for new tools to curb serious violent offences, Reuters reports.
The proposed law will allow police to use AI technology to find or identify people who have committed serious crimes such as human trafficking, kidnapping and murder.
“In order to combat gang crime and restore safety in the community, the police must have access to effective tools,” Sweden’s Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer said in a statement.
According to the news agency, Sweden’s population has been exposed to gang violence for more than a decade, and in 2023 (when the latest statistics were reported) the country had the highest per capita rate of gun violence in the EU.
The government said that the new law, which has yet to be voted on in parliament and, if passed, will come into force in early 2026, will be in line with personal integrity laws and would only apply to matters of particular importance.
