Italy

Report and Analysis

Case Study

How facial recognition is spreading in Italy: the case of Como

The municipality of Como, Italy, purchased a facial recognition system, which was bought, installed, and tested for months with little transparency and despite the lack of a clear legal framework. To do so it embraced a narrative of technological innovation pushed by Huawei but was forced, after the intervention of the Italian Data Protection Authority, to suspend the system.

Key Resources

Data Exploitation in the Italian Elections

Political campaigns, debate and engagement has become increasingly digitalised in Italy. Here are some examples of concerns this has raised.

Report

Briefing For The Italian Government On Hacking Team's Surveillance Exports

Privacy International briefing for the Italian Government on Hacking Team's surveillance exports

News

30th April 2019

Cambridge Analytica, GDPR - 1 year on - a lot of words and some action

2nd November 2018

Italy's Supreme Court decision limits hacking powers and applies safeguards

7th February 2018

Privacy International And The Italian Coalition For Civil Liberties And Rights Call To Amend DDL Orlando On Hacking

7th February 2018

Exploiting Privacy: Surveillance Companies Pushing Zero-Day Exploits

8th April 2016

Hacking Team’s Global License Revoked by Italian Export Authorities

1st December 2015

Surveillance company Hacking Team exposed

Examples of Abuse

Want to know how this translate in the real world? Here is the latest example in the news.

COVID-19 vaccine prioritization algorithms in parts of Italy

Amid a chaotic rollout of the national vaccination plan, the Italian Federation of General Practitioners (FIMMG) and some regions in Italy are resorting to algorithms to more efficiently prioritise who gets vaccinated against COVID-19. AlgorithmWatch documented the adoption of automated decision

See more examples of abuse

Our Advocacy

Privacy International's Analysis Of The Italian Hacking Reform, Under DDL Orlando

Privacy International generally opposes hacking as a tool for surveillance. While the DDL Orlando is an opportunity to fill the current legislative gap in the use of hacking for investigative purposes, PI believes that it falls short of the requirements of existing international human rights law.