Smart lie-detector at EU borders to profile travellers? Questions to the Commission

Source: S.H. (Sophie) in 't Veld i, published on Tuesday, November 6 2018.

Today Sophie in 't Veld submitted the following written question to the Commission

Subject: iBorderCtrl project

On 24 October the Commission published an article on its website under the section 'Success stories' on the EU-funded iBorderCtrl project. This project, which costs 4.5 million euros, sets up a “smart lie-detection system”, which profiles travellers on the basis of an computer-automated interview taken by the traveller’s webcam before the trip and an artificial intelligence based analysis of 38 microgestures. It aims at spotting illegal immigrants and to prevent crime and terrorism  The project gave rise to a lot of criticism from civil society and experts.

  • 1. 
    Why does the Commission consider this system to be a “success story”?
  • 2. 
    Has the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence given recommendations regarding ethics guidelines for this system and on its impact on the application of the Charter? If not, why not?
  • 3. 
    Why does the Commission consider a test of the automated lie-detection system on 34 people, with an accuracy rate of only 76 percent, to be a sufficient basis to start ‘trials’ of this system in Greece, Hungary and Latvia, where fundamental rights of many border-crossing travellers will be violated?

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