By Alex McGrath
A bill has received government approval to allow Gardaí to use biometric recognition technologies. Known as the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill 2025, this bill will include biometrics such as facial and gait recognition for criminal investigations relating to major crimes, missing persons cases and state security.
The need for this technology comes from a claimed need to improve the efficiency of investigations into crimes. Where does this need come from? Ireland is already one of the safest countries in the world, and has managed to do so without any such deep invasion of privacy.
What evidence is there to suggest it will improve public safety? Countries like the UK have implemented laws with similar aims of so-called national security, a notoriously abused phrase, allowing for groups like Palestine Action, Kneecap and Bob Vylan to be charged as “terrorists” for the crime of opposing a genocide!
Breach of privacy
There are obvious safety and privacy concerns with automatically tracking people. The claim that this technology won’t be abused is seemingly only ensured through a code of practice, something that Gardaí have shown time and time again that they are willing to break. A clear example of a privacy breach occurred in the case of Dara Quigley, and there were other conduct breaches involving excessive and brutal use of force in quelling protests.
What guarantees are there that this won’t be abused by stalkers within the force? What guarantees can be made of the secure storage of this collected footage? How can we trust that whatever private contractor is allowed to implement this will do it securely and without bias? The software used for this will be funded by public money, with no accountability as to how it is used.
There needs to be a movement to oppose all draconian privacy breaches, such as biometrics, as well as from the EU, with its ongoing attempts to implement Chat Control, allowing the scanning of all messages by the state. These are egregious breaches of privacy, a right that should be inalienable to all.
The introduction of this draconian and undemocratic bill comes at a time when there is a growing attack on democratic rights by capitalist states—this cannot be accepted. Nor can we accept that our data can be in the hands of billionaire-owned tech companies; these resources must be taken into public ownership in order that they not be used to invade our privacy or to be profited from.
