The controversies, debates, and discussions for facial recognition are taking the center stage in every tech-advanced region. Where some realizing its utility deploys it for social good, others consider it socially harmful at the same time. The wave of dialogues has even reached the European Parliament and the European Commission.

According to a January report by BBC, the European Commission had revealed that it is considering a ban on the use of facial recognition in public areas for up to five years. Regulators wanted time to work out how to prevent the technology from being abused. The technology allows faces captured on CCTV to be checked in real-time against watch lists, often compiled by police. Exceptions to the ban could be made for security projects as well as research and development. The Commission had set out its plans in an 18-page document, suggesting that new rules will be introduced to bolster existing regulations surrounding privacy and data rights. It had proposed imposing obligations on both developers and users of artificial intelligence and urged EU countries to create an authority to monitor the new rules. During the ban, which would last between three and five years, "a sound methodology for assessing the impacts of this technology and possible risk management measures could be identified and developed". The proposals came amid calls from politicians and campaigners in the UK to stop the police using live facial recognition for public surveillance. Most recently the Kings Cross estate found itself at the center of controversy when it was revealed its owners were using facial recognition technology without telling the public.

Moreover, as noted by News Europe recently, according to a leaked internal memo, the European Parliament has considered introducing facial recognition into some public spaces to further bolster "biometric-based security and services to members". That potential roll-out has, however, sparked a major outcry from activists and European lawmakers who worry that a Chinese or Russian-style expansion programme that would see facial recognition cameras installed in crowded public spaces would be a gross violation of several fundamental rights.

As it stands now, while regulators will be given five years to assess the impact of the use of facial recognition technology, the technology poses major challenges to the everyday lives of millions of EU citizens. During an event organized by Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou and Stelios Kympouropoulos, MEPs from the European People's Party, observers noted that a fine line exists between ensuring that people's lives are improving and blatantly abusing their fundamental rights.

The European Commission has attempted to create roadblocks that would help check those who try to employ facial recognition technology for illicit purposes. One initiative by Brussels included the setting up of a high-level Expert Group on AI to draft guidelines on the ethical use of the technology.

The regulatory framework that is expected to be adopted by the EU needs to be based on basic morals, all of which would be in line with Europe's concept of personal freedom and individual privacy. Europe's General Data Protection Rules are sufficient, to a certain extent, when speaking in terms of safeguarding the rights of EU citizens as it prohibits the use of biometric checks.