EU civil rights groups want ban on biometric surveillance ahead of new laws

An illustration picture shows a projection of text on the face of a woman in Berlin, June 12, 2013. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski/Files

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Civil and digital rights groups on Wednesday launched a petition seeking the support of one million Europeans to help pressure the European Union to ban biometric mass surveillance ahead of laws on artificial intelligence (AI) due this year.

Surveillance tools such as facial recognition systems have triggered concerns about risks to privacy and fundamental rights and that they could be exploited by repressive regimes to commit human rights violations.