Czechia turns off Prague airport facial recognition system amid legal violations

The Czech police were obliged to shut down the facial recognition cameras at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport following years of legal scrutiny and mounting criticism from civil rights groups.

Operational since 2018, the system was deactivated after the Czech Data Protection Authority (DPA) confirmed it violated personal data protection laws.

The surveillance technology enabled real-time biometric analysis of travelers’ faces, converting facial contours into numerical “bio-indexes” and comparing them against databases of wanted or missing individuals. However, legal experts from luridicum Remedium (IuRe), a member of the European Digital Rights (EDRi) network, argued as early as 2021 that such biometric processing lacked the explicit legal basis required under Czech law.

IuRe filed a formal complaint with the DPA, prompting a multi-year investigation. In mid-2025, the DPA’s findings (obtained via a Freedom of Information request) validated concerns that the system breached national and European data protection regulations.

The final blow came with the implementation of the EU’s AI Act in February 2025, which mandates judicial approval for biometric surveillance. No such approval had been granted for the airport system, rendering its continued use illegal. Despite repeated warnings and media scrutiny, the police maintained the system until its eventual shutdown.

Beyond the airport, there are concerns over another biometric tool used by Czech police — the Digital Personal Image Information System. This system compares images of unidentified individuals against a reference database of roughly 20 million photographs from national ID and passport records. While police claim it aids in identifying deceased persons, critics warn it could be repurposed to track demonstrators or other civilians, raising serious privacy concerns.

The DPA’s prolonged investigation and lack of enforcement have highlighted systemic gaps in oversight, IuRe claims. IuRe is now calling on the Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan to initiate a legislative review, arguing that Czech law fails to meet EU standards for biometric data safeguards. The organization says it will continue to monitor biometric surveillance in Czechia.

Article Topics

AI Act  |  airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  Czech Republic  |  data protection  |  European Digital Rights (EDRi)  |  facial recognition