Pirates present game on biometric mass surveillance

Brussels, 16/07/2021 – Today, the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament launches the social impact video game ‘The Biometric Outrun’ to raise awareness of the urgent need to ban facial recognition and other types of biometric surveillance in public spaces. The entertaining yet informative app is available for Android and Apple devices as well as for web browsers. It aims to generate more interest from the broader public about the risks of biometric tracking and monitoring in public spaces.

In ‘The Biometric Outrun’, players must escape facial recognition technology while navigating through three different levels of camera systems in public places. Whether gamers are able to complete the game depends on their ability to collect information on the current state of the debate on banning biometric mass surveillance. The game raises attention to surveillance systems in Europe and to campaigns calling for a ban, such as the European Citizens’ Initiative Reclaim Your Face.

Patrick Breyer, Pirate Party MEP in the Greens/EFA group and coordinator for the campaign against biometric mass surveillance, comments:

“Deploying error-prone biometric mass surveillance technology in public spaces wrongfully incriminates large numbers of innocent citizens, systematically discriminates against under-represented groups and has a chilling effect on a free and diverse society. ‘The Biometric Outrun’ draws attention to this threat in a playful manner. There is no time to lose, as such surveillance systems are currently being experimented with in several European countries. We will need to push strongly to protect our citizens from dystopian surveillance technologies!”

Play the game:

Web: https://www.greens-efa.eu/tools/game/index.html 

AppStore: https://apps.apple.com/app/the-biometric-outrun/id1576163249 

Google PlayStore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.BickhofeGames.TheBiometricsOutrun 

What is biometric mass surveillance? 

Biometric mass surveillance is the monitoring, tracking, and otherwise processing of the biometric data of individuals or groups in an indiscriminate or arbitrary manner. Biometric data includes highly sensitive data about our body or behaviour. When used to scan everyone in public or publicly accessible spaces (a form of mass surveillance) biometric processing violates a wide range of fundamental rights.

Find out more about the campaign: http://stopbiometricsurveillance.eu/