Encamp Denies Active AI Surveillance Amid Pirate Party Complaint

**Title:** Encamp Clarifies No Active AI Surveillance Amid Pirate Party Complaint **Summary:** Parish council denies operational AI video system or body cameras with AI, as complaint proceeds to data protection agency.

**Body:**

Encamp parish council has clarified that no AI-assisted video surveillance system is currently operational, despite a complaint filed by the Pirate Party of Andorra with the Andorran Data Protection Agency (APDA). The council states it has opened a public tender for a server platform—valued at €113,014.35 plus VAT, with bids due by 26 March 2026—to potentially upgrade its existing video surveillance infrastructure in future, including public spaces like Pas de la Casa.

Josep Guirao, speaking for the Pirate Party—formerly the ATTAC association founded on 14 September 2001—lodged the complaint both personally and on behalf of the party. It alleges possible breaches of Qualified Law 29/2021 on personal data protection linked to reports of an "intelligent" system for anomaly detection and instant alerts to security forces. Guirao seeks APDA review of legal basis, necessity, proportionality, impact assessments, retention limits (with destruction after a maximum one month, barring legal exceptions), access logs, and information for data subjects. He requests investigations, including checks on Encamp and suppliers, provisional measures to avert harm, and sanctions for serious violations.

Council officials emphasise that the tender covers only server supply, installation, configuration, and maintenance to prepare hardware for potential AI software later. They deny any facial recognition, personal data collection, or active AI analytics, citing examples like automated detection of illegal dumping without identity tracking. The roughly €110,000 investment aims to enhance response times while prioritising privacy through situational analysis alone.

Guirao argues that image capture and analysis in public areas could still process personal data, infer behaviours, or classify conduct, affecting residents and visitors regardless of nationality. He references European Court of Human Rights rulings on Article 8 violations without clear legal foundations and necessity tests, as well as AI surveillance criticism at the Paris 2024 Olympics by Amnesty International.

Encamp also dismissed links to body cameras for traffic agents, noting these stem from an inter-parish agreement and lack AI. Separately, the Pirate Party filed a similar complaint against La Massana over traffic agent body cameras, citing risks of mass mobile surveillance without safeguards.

The APDA has not yet responded.