• Italy bans facial recognition and ‘smart glasses’ after its Data Protection Agency reprimanded two towns.
• Watchdog: Facial recognition systems utilizing biometric data will not be permitted until a particular law is approved.
• The exception to this rule is when such technologies are utilized in judicial investigations.

On Monday, Italy banned facial recognition and ‘smart glasses’ after its Data Protection Agency reprimanded two towns for experimenting with the technologies.

The privacy watchdog stated that facial recognition systems utilizing biometric data will not be permitted until a particular law is approved, or at least until the end of next year.

The exception to this rule is when such technologies are utilized in judicial investigations or the fight against crime.

“The moratorium arises from the need to regulate eligibility requirements, conditions, and guarantees relating to facial recognition, in compliance with the principle of proportionality,” the agency said in a statement.

In accordance with European Union and Italian law, the processing of personal data by public bodies utilizing video devices is typically permissible on the basis of public interest and when connected to the activities of public authorities, the document noted.

To employ them, however, municipalities must negotiate “urban security pacts” with central government authorities.

The agency reacted to actions done in the southern Italian city of Lecce, where authorities announced they would begin employing facial recognition technology.

The municipality was asked to produce a description of the implemented systems, their purpose, and legal basis, as well as a list of databases accessed by its surveillance devices, according to the watchdog.

The privacy watchdog also targeted the city of Arezzo in Tuscany, where local police were to be outfitted with infrared super glasses that can recognize car license plates.

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