Hungary to use FRT for LGBTQ+ surveillance, PM linked to digital ID software provider

Hungary has passed legislation targeting the LGBTQ community, including banning annual Pride marches which can now be surveilled by facial recognition.

On Monday, Hungarian lawmakers amended the country’s constitution to outlaw public events during which symbols such as rainbows are displayed and participants dress in ways “that diverge from the gender they were assigned at birth.” According to the new law, authorities will be able to search for people attending banned events with facial recognition and give out fines of up to 550 euros (US$595).

The move has invited domestic and international condemnation. Rights groups have called on the European Union to launch procedures against Prime Minister Victor Orbán’s government while lawmakers are arguing that the use of biometric technology to crack down on Pride events could violate the EU AI Act, GDPR and other fundamental rights protections.

The deployment of facial recognition would be a clear breach of the EU’s AI Act, MEP Brando Benifei, who co-chairs the European Parliament’s AI monitoring group, announced in March.

“What was announced by Orbán is illegal: It is forbidden by the AI Act to use biometric cameras to identify protestors,” Benifei told Euronews. “You cannot surveil people peacefully protesting unless they are linked to serious crimes, like homicide, terrorism.”

Since the early 2010s, Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz party has made several moves against the LGBTQ population, inviting comparisons to Vladimir Putin’s persecution of LGBTQ activists in Russia.

The Monday vote sparked protests on the streets while the opposition Momentum party attempted to block the parliament, Deutsche Welle reports. Despite demonstrations, the amendments passed parliament with 140 votes in favor to 21 against.

Aside from cracking down on the community, the new regulation states that people can only be male or female and enables authorities to temporarily strip Hungarian citizenship from dual or multiple nationals.

Hungary’s digital ID software tied to Orbán

Debates over the use of facial recognition during public events are also sparking concerns about the Hungarian government’s access to biometric data through the nation’s digital ID program.

Last week, local media outlet 24.hu uncovered that the company commissioned to identify citizens as part of the government’s Digital Citizenship Program (DÁP), has ties with Prime Minister Orbán’s son-in-law, István Tiborcz.

The company FaceKom has been around under different names since 2010 but has seen significant growth during the past few years thanks to investments from the Central European Opportunity Private Equity Fund (CEOM). The fund has no direct links with Tiborcz. However, it is registered on the same address in Budapest where several companies owned by Orbán ‘s son-in-law operate.

Critics such as Zoltán Kész, Hungarian activist and former politician, have been raising questions over whether such technology could be misused by the government.

“Using a private company with ties to the Prime Minister’s family in an area that interferes with personal data and the private sphere of citizens raises even more ethical questions,” writes Kész. “Such systems can then be used not only for public safety but also for the surveillance of political rivals, the intimidation of protesters, and the manipulation of elections.”

Idomsoft, the state-owned company responsible for developing the DÁP application and public services log-in system Ügyfélkapu+ (Client Gate), has confirmed that FaceKom was commissioned to perform facial recognition of DÁP users.

“FaceKom has solid references in the development and operation of facial recognition technology, and the company has previously provided digital services to numerous other market and government IT systems,” Idomsoft responded.

The DÁP was first unveiled in 2023. The Prime Minister’s Head of Cabinet Antal Rogán has been reassuring that the system will follow Hungary’s data protection rules.

In January, Rogán was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for his alleged involvement in corruption.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Digital Citizenship Program (DÁP)  |  FaceKom  |  facial recognition  |  Hungary  |  Idomsoft  |  video surveillance