Olympic Games 2024: Senate approves intelligent video surveillance

This is the flagship article of the Olympic Bill, which is very focused on safety. On Tuesday, January 24, the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of an experiment with cameras equipped with algorithms starting this year. The goal is to be able to deploy this system for the 2024 Games.

For the Minister of Sports, Amelie Odea-Castera, this text contains “Substantial adjustments to meet our commitments and meet our operational needs to deliver and facilitate the Olympics”. The debate calmed down, including on the most sensitive issues. The article was supported by 243 in favor and 27 against.

This law comes months after the Champions League final fiasco at the Stade de France at the end of May. With ticketless spectators clambering through the gates, ticket holders locked inside, families tear gassed by police or even mugged and assaulted, the final turned into a nightmare.

To secure the Paris Olympics, which are expected to attract 13 million spectators and around 600,000 people for the opening ceremony on the banks of the Seine on July 26, authorities are asking for the help of cameras to detect suspicious movements in the crowd.

Both around the contents and in the surrounding transport, they will also be able to detect “abandoned objects”or allow it “For example, statistical analysis of traffic flows”According to the law’s impact study.

Opposition from communists and environmentalists

The National Bar Council (CNB) does not like the measure. “Lawyers will not allow the Olympic Games to turn into a Lepin competition to attack individual freedoms”, its president Jérôme Gavaudan warned on Tuesday. The association La Quadrature du net does not lose its temper.

Communist and environmentalist senators expressed their opposition. “Olympics is an excuse to play Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the market is huge”Environmentalist Senator Thomas Dossus lamented that although it is an issue “Absolutely immature technologies” What more could he do ” food “ systems that are then potentially useful “Tyranny on the other side of the world”. Eliane Assassi (PCF) criticized the Olympics “Monitoring Accelerator” and text ” Trojan horse “.

Senators on the PS side are worried “Promotion of development under good conditions”. But they failed to complete the experiment period by September 2024, not June 2025.

Experimentation with these new tools will be possible after the entry into force of the law, but also for demonstration purposes “recreational” and “cultural”. The text was revised by the government following the opinion of the National Commission for IT and Freedoms (Cnil) and the Council of State.

No recognition of any kind

When the session resumed in the evening, the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, came to defend this measure and explained that it is important. “Development of the French framework” After Amelie Oudea-Castera reiterated a little earlier that the Govt “I didn’t want facial recognition for the Olympics”. Marc-Philippe Doubresse (LR) indicated on Tuesday that he would present a bill on the subject.

The Minister of Internal Affairs also defended the permitted event “sieve” Persons interfering with fan zones (they are subject to administrative investigation), because otherwise, “We will leave terrorists a huge field of action”. LR change aimed at screening capability “temporary” accepted.

Another security measure: body scanners, which could somewhat replace the lack of personal security agents, especially women, that everyone expects. These scanners are installed “Before joining the army”Mr. Darmanin began, responding to David Assoulin (PS), who had made an amendment on the subject.

The ceremonial vote is scheduled for January 31.