The Paris administrative court on Wednesday rejected an emergency appeal against the deployment of surveillance drones by the Paris police headquarters, saying that no evidence has been provided regarding the illegal use of personal data.
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The court noted that " if when used in a judicial context, the devices are capable of identifying individuals, it is not (...) established that the devices would have been used in such a setting, since the beginning of confinement ”imposed on March 17 to combat the spread of the epidemic of the new coronavirus. " Under these conditions, even if the prefecture of police has, by this device, proceeded to the collection, the provisional recording and the transmission of images, it cannot be regarded as having carried out a processing of data with character personal, "said the court.
The administrative court also relies on the arguments of the prefect of police, who argued that the captured images were " taken using a wide angle " not "allowing the identification of an individual ", and indicates that they do not have no evidence that the drones were used " in conditions allowing the identification of individuals on the ground ".
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The association Quadrature du Net and the Human Rights League had filed an urgent appeal against the deployment of surveillance drones since March 18. They denounced an “ illegal device ” in the absence of “ any specific legal framework regarding the use of filmed images ” (deadlines for deleting images, limitation of access, etc.), infringing the right to life. privacy and the protection of personal data.
La Quadrature du Net has announced its intention to appeal to the Council of State for the rejection of its appeal, considering that the court was lost " in a false debate on the presence or absence of personal data " without examining its arguments on the necessary legal framework for video surveillance systems.
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