The Hungarian Face Recognition Technology In Light of EU Law

This article concerns the compliance of Hungarian legislation on the use of face recognition technology in misdemeanour procedures with AI law, data protection and its status in criminal justice. Hungary has recently modified a series of national laws in an attempt to abolish assemblies which would represent any sexual or gender identity which does not conform to heterosexuality or traditional gender roles, in other words, Pride. To this end, the legislator widely extended the use of face recognition technology in criminal justice. A number of stakeholders and commentators flagged the modifications as potentially violating EU law. It is against this background that we analyse the legislation regarding the use of Hungarian face recognition technology from various approaches including AI regulations, data protection, criminal justice and the protection of human rights.