Il riconoscimento facciale negli stadi: un’inafferrabile oscillazione tra agile accesso ed attività di polizia in attesa dell’AI Act

Facial recognition technologies in football stadiums. An elusive oscillation between easy access and law enforcement activities pending the AI Act

Abstract

Following tests conducted at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in 2017, a novel correlation has emerged between facial recognition technologies and football, a trend observable in other European countries. This paper examines the primary critical issues arising from the contentious deployment of such systems within sports venues by analyzing the decisions of various Data Protection Authorities. In the run-up to the AI Act, these systems face the challenge of managing the complexity created by the diverse applications of these technologies for different purposes. This diversity has blurred the distinction between authentication and identification purposes, making it difficult to determine the appropriate regulatory framework.

Keywords: Facial recognition technologies; Football stadiums; Data protection authorities; Security; AI act