Sweden authorizes police use of live facial recognition

Swedish police will be allowed to use live facial recognition (LFR) in cases involving kidnapping, human trafficking, serious crimes and threats to life under a new law approved by parliament. The decision marks a significant expansion of biometric surveillance powers in Sweden and places the country among a growing number of European states authorizing police use of the technology despite ongoing privacy and civil liberties concerns.

The Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, voted on the government-proposed law on police use of AI for real-time facial recognition earlier this week. The new regulation is expected to come into force on July 1st, 2026 alongside amendments to the Public Access and Secrecy Act.

The introduction of the technology in police work comes as the Scandinavian country struggles to contain gang violence. Over the past three years, 23 bystanders have been killed and 30 wounded in gangland shootings.

The move comes as European governments increasingly weigh the potential security benefits of live facial recognition against concerns over privacy, proportionality and mass surveillance. The EU AI Act permits certain law enforcement uses of real-time biometric identification under narrowly defined circumstances, subject to judicial and regulatory safeguards.

The new law outlines specific rules under which the Swedish Police Authority will be able to use the technology. According to the rules, the use of LFR must be proportionate and “absolutely necessary,” while permission to deploy the system must be obtained from the court.

In urgent cases, LFR can be used without court permission, for example if a person is considered to be dangerous to the public, there is a risk that the person will commit more crimes or leave the country. In these cases, an application for permission must be made within 24 hours.

The Swedish Police Authority will be permitted to use live facial recognition to locate or identify individuals in a limited set of serious circumstances. These include cases where a person is suspected of being a victim of kidnapping, human trafficking, or exploitation, or is a missing person believed to have fallen victim to a crime.

Police could also use the technology when there is an imminent risk that someone may commit a serious offence posing a danger to another person’s life or physical safety or has committed a serious crime carrying a maximum sentence of at least four years’ imprisonment. Finally, the technology could be used to help enforce sentences against those already convicted of such offences.

The decision on whether the use of LFR is proportionate will be reached on a case-by-case basis. Consideration will be given to the seriousness of the crime and whether the deployment of the tech would affect other people.

The use of LFR will be supervised by the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY). Before deploying it for the first time, the Swedish Police Authority and the Swedish Security Service will be required to conduct a fundamental rights impact assessment of the system in accordance with Article 27 of the EU AI Act.

Sweden’s minority right-wing government, which relies on support from the far-right Sweden Democrats, has been advancing a series of proposals targeting crime and immigration ahead of the general election on September 13th.

The requirement for court authorization, oversight by Sweden’s privacy regulator and compliance with the EU AI Act reflects the increasingly complex regulatory framework governing police use of biometric surveillance technologies across Europe.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  live facial recognition  |  police  |  real-time biometrics  |  Sweden