Who Watches Us? – A Citizens’ Assembly on the Limits of AI-Powered Surveillance

In recent years, facial recognition, surveillance and analytical technologies have become part of our everyday lives, giving the state unprecedented capabilities to identify and track its citizens and collect information about them. While people expect the state to protect them from genuine threats, constant surveillance can affect how they exercise their fundamental rights: for example, whether they feel safe attending a protest or organising to defend their interests. Facial recognition can also easily become a tool of deliberate and overt oppression. One of the most important questions of our time is where we draw the line: what justifies the use of facial recognition technologies, and how can we prevent their abuse?

Until now, these questions have been considered almost exclusively by governments, public authorities, technology companies and legal experts. Those who are subject to surveillance have been given a voice far less often. Yet the consequences of surveillance cannot be assessed solely from a legal or technological perspective. That is why we are organising a Citizens’ Assembly, bringing together expert knowledge and the lived experiences of citizens. Invited experts will help participants understand how these systems work, what risks they pose, what safeguards are in place, and what interests need to be balanced. Participants will then develop their own position on the democratic limits of state surveillance.
The Citizens’ Assembly will also have a European dimension, with international participants and discussions addressing questions of facial recognition and state surveillance across Europe. Most parts of the programme may take place in English.

This Citizens’ Assembly is not a one-day event, but the beginning of a longer process. We will directly incorporate the principles and recommendations developed by the participants into our future work on law reform and the enforcement of rights, ensuring that the concerns, needs and perspectives of citizens finally have a meaningful place in policy debates.

This event is part of the European Democratic Digital Commons project, which brings people together through citizens’ assemblies and collective discussions to explore how we can shape a more democratic future for digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Join the project’s Discord community and be part of the European conversation!

This event is co-funded by the European Union’s CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) programme, as part of the Democratic Digital Commons project. The programme aims to strengthen digital rights and involve citizens in AI governance.Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Date: 2 September 2026, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

9:00-12:30 Lectures, reflections

• Máté Szabó (TASZ professional director) – General summary of the topic
• Pete Fussey (Professor at the University of Southampton) – The operation of facial recognition technology
• Karolina Iwanska (Legal Officer at the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law) – European Union regulation on facial recognition (AI act)

12:30-13:15 Lunch break
13:15-18:00 Joint processing of the topic, collecting opinions, brainstorming.

There will be several shorter breaks during the day

Venue: MagNet Community House (98 Andrássy Avenue, 1062 Budapest)