France Plans to Become First European Country to Use Facial Recognition for Digital Identity System

France Plans to Become First European Country to Use Facial Recognition for Digital Identity System

The French government plans to introduce a program called Alicem that will require residents to take a selfie video to compare to their passport photo.

  • By Haley Samsel
  • Oct 04, 2019

As part of its plans to roll out an ID program in November, the French government will incorporate facial recognition technology into a mandatory digital identity for all citizens, according to a Bloomberg report.

President Emmanuel Macron’s government is championing the ID program, known as Alicem, as a way to make government programs more efficient. But France’s data regulator has said that Alicem breaches Europe’s rules around consent for collecting personal data, Bloomberg reported. In addition, after a hacker was able to gain access to a government messaging app in a little over an hour, citizens are concerned about the country’s ability to keep their data secure. 

French privacy rights group La Quadrature du Net has already filed a lawsuit against the government for its plans to launch an Android-only app that will be the only way for French people to create a legal digital identity. Facial recognition will be its sole enabler, according to Bloomberg. 

Once residents download the app, they will create their ID by comparing a passport-style photo to a selfie video taken by the user to obtain different angles and expressions. Critics say that this app violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and France’s independent privacy watchdog has voiced its concerns about potential GDPR issues. 

“The government wants to funnel people to use Alicem and facial recognition,” Martin Drago, a lawyer member of La Quadrature du Net, told Bloomberg. “We’re heading into mass usage of facial recognition. (There’s) little interest in the importance of consent and choice.”

While France may be the first European country to institute a facial recognition-based digital ID, countries in Asia are in the midst of launching their own programs or already have. Singapore is creating a facial recognition system for government services, China uses facial recognition IDs to monitor its citizens, and India scans people’s irises for its identity systems. 

Macron’s interior ministry maintains that face scans will be deleted after the person enrolls in the system, and that they will not be used to monitor residents, according to MIT Technology Review. For Patrick Van Eecke, a privacy and data specialist in Belgium, the French program can be viewed through two lenses. 

“You can look at France’s use of facial recognition for digital identity in two ways: it goes too far in terms of privacy, or they’re using the most secure new technology. Are they a front-runner or are they overstepping the mark?” Van Eecke told Bloomberg. 

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services

  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities