Security Robots Suspended at Basel Autumn Fair Over Data Protection Concerns
Autonomous security robots with 360-degree and thermal cameras deployed overnight at Basel's Autumn Fair were suspended after the canton's Data Protection Commissioner discovered the system had not received regulatory approval and raised concerns about personality rights violations and unclear data storage practices.
What happened
Two autonomous security robots equipped with 360-degree and thermal imaging cameras patrolled the Basel Autumn Fair overnight between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. to monitor the fairground.
The Data Protection Commissioner of Basel-Stadt, Danielle Kaufmann, was not notified of the deployment and discovered the robots during an inspection. She determined that the canton had not authorized the use of the camera robots.
Kaufmann raised concerns that the robots violated personality rights, noting that people walking at night also have data protection rights. She was unclear about where and how long recordings were stored and who had access to the data.
Reported impact
The Data Protection Commissioner issued an order suspending the use of the security robots at the fair pending clarification of data protection requirements.
Index analysis
The robots' 360-degree surveillance and use of artificial intelligence to process recordings represented a larger privacy issue than conventional video monitoring, according to the commissioner.
Governance controls
The fair operator acknowledged that no prior consultation with the Data Protection Commissioner had taken place before deploying the robots. Securitas stated the systems were proven technology already in use for two years.
The operator stated that data would be transmitted to a control center where people would be made unrecognizable, and alerts would only be triggered for unusual activity. However, these measures did not satisfy the commissioner's concerns.
Classification
Sources and evidence
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