Les renforts d’Europol en IA suscitent des inquiétudes sur la protection de la vie privée

Brussels — As the EU plans to bolster Europol's capabilities in the era of artificial intelligence, senior European officials warn against compromising the privacy rights of Europeans. With cybercriminals, terrorists, and spies leveraging AI for scams, extortion, and cyberattacks, Brussels is focusing on strengthening Europol's AI expertise to fight these threats.

Europol, which coordinates European police intelligence since 1998, aims to become a stronger force, equipped with the resources and capabilities necessary to effectively support national law enforcement. "Europol is at a turning point," stated European People's Party MEP Fabienne Keller, member of the Civil Liberties Committee.

"We need a stronger Europol, with the resources and capacities to effectively support national law enforcement agencies," she argued. This must go hand in hand with strong democratic control and robust safeguards on fundamental rights and data protection. The EU unveiled this summer a project aiming to transform Europol, doubling its budget to €3 billion and granting it an active role in combating new threats by providing access to more data and advanced technologies.

While developers and policymakers debate whether to slow down the development of advanced AI models, law enforcement is already facing criminals who utilize the latest technologies. However, this project also raises questions about governance and privacy, sparking a heated debate on the extent of law enforcement powers needed to ensure citizens' safety through AI and its use.

European Data Protection Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiórowski, who ensures all EU agencies and institutions comply with data protection rules, has expressed strong support for Europol's ability to use data and new AI-based tools. However, he emphasized the need for control: "When I hear about strengthening Europol, changing its scope of action, and investing very substantial amounts in the agency itself, I welcome it as a citizen, but I must ask: why isn't there anything in the proposal about supervising Europol?"