The bottom line: The Berlin Police Act permits private companies to deploy AI systems for automated behavioral analysis of video material, triggering significant GDPR and EU AI Act compliance requirements.
The Berlin Police is leveraging an amendment to the Police Act to deploy an AI system for automated behavioral analysis of video material. The project is being implemented by IT service provider Adesso.
The revised Berlin Police Act establishes the legal basis for the use of AI-powered video analysis systems by private companies. The Berlin Police commissioned IT company Adesso with the development of a so-called behavior scanner, which is intended to automatically evaluate video recordings.
This creates multiple challenges for compliance and data protection officers: The use of AI systems for mass surveillance directly raises questions regarding the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in particular concerning the necessity, purpose limitation, and lawfulness of automated processing of biometric data. Additionally, transparency requirements under the EU AI Act and national regulations must be observed. The technical implementation by private contractors requires appropriate data processing agreements and control mechanisms.
Organizations planning similar video surveillance projects should verify whether the AI systems deployed meet the requirements of current EU regulations regarding high-risk AI and whether necessary impact assessments have been conducted. Particular attention must be given to the traceability of decisions as well as the notification and objection rights of data subjects.
Source: www.golem.de · Published 15 July 2026
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