On 18 March, Hungary’s parliament passed a law banning Pride events and public support for LGBTQI+ rights and expanding the scope of use of facial recognition technology. Previously limited to infractions that were punishable by a custodial sentence, facial recognition can now be used for all types of infractions. This includes identifying individuals at banned events, such as Pride marches, or for minor offences like jaywalking, often using video footage from protests. Adopted in just one day without public scrutiny, the law marks a new escalation in the government’s campaign against LGBTQI+ people, following its 2021 “anti-LGBT propaganda” law. Justified under the pretext of “child protection”, the law severely restricts freedom of assembly and expression and further entrenches the chilling effect and censorship in Hungarian civic space.
