Ireland is preparing to grant police new powers to deploy facial recognition tools, with legislation expected as early as this summer. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has made clear his intention to press ahead with the plan, which would legalize the use of retrospective facial recognition (RFR) by Gardaí, a move that has reignited privacy concerns across the country.
RFR technology allows authorities to scan pre-recorded video to identify individuals after an incident has taken place. It has already seen use in the UK, despite longstanding concerns over surveillance overreach.
O’Callaghan defended the proposal during a local broadcast interview, using the example of two retired Garda officers who were called back into service to manually comb through footage from the 2023 Dublin riots. He dismissed the process as antiquated, calling it a poor use of resources when more advanced options exist.
Previous efforts to incorporate facial recognition into legislation tied to police body-worn cameras were blocked, notably by opposition from the Green Party. The latest proposal appears to decouple the technology from that legislation in an attempt to move forward.
In parallel, the Irish government is also pursuing new legal powers that would compel protesters to remove face coverings during demonstrations. O’Callaghan attempted to frame this measure as protest-friendly, stating in a video shared on his X account.
These developments come at a time when public trust in surveillance technologies remains deeply contested. The move to decouple facial recognition from previous legislation, after earlier proposals were blocked, suggests a deliberate effort to sidestep political resistance, raising further concerns about transparency and accountability.