Hungary’s Biometric Laws Breach EU AI Act, Endanger LGBTQ+ Rights

Hungary’s laws on the use of facial recognition technology to increase biometric surveillance on the LGBTQAI+ community discourage people from exercising their fundamental rights.

The European Digital Rights group (EDRi), Civil Liberties Union for Europe, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) believe that this broadened application of facial recognition technology to track and identify individuals attending banned Pride events and committing even minor infractions violates the EU AI Act and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.

The AI Act is the world’s first comprehensive law on artificial intelligence. Its goal is to restrict the use of AI technology in Europe to safeguard fundamental civil rights, such as privacy, and to put a stop to potential dangers like discrimination and exclusion.

In March 2025, three amendments were adopted in the Hungarian parliament, without any public debate. These amendments allow the Hungarian police to use facial recognition technology in the broadest way possible, such as catching people in the act of jaywalking. Before the new legislation, biometric surveillance was only allowed for serious offences, like tracking human traffickers.

Identifying people as they move through public spaces using facial recognition technology is unacceptable. “It can make people feel like they’re under constant surveillance and discourage them from exercising their rights, such as attending protests or other public demonstrations,” EDRi says in a statement.

According to the digital rights group, the automated facial comparison system that’s now being used in Hungary is designed to automatically identify people, even if they’ve done nothing wrong.

“The use of facial recognition technology in Hungary risks discouraging people from exercising their fundamental rights, particularly freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. When people know they might be scanned, identified, and punished for participating in a peaceful protest, many will decide not to attend. Allowing this form of AI use undermines free speech, public participation, and, ultimately, people’s trust in democracy,” EDRi adds.

The advocacy group is asking Brussels to scrutinize Hungary’s new legislation as soon as possible to protect the people’s fundamental rights.