The protection of digital rights knows no pauses, nor seasons. This is why ISGroup chose to support e-privacy XXIX, the 2021 summer edition, confirming its commitment to promoting a culture of security that puts the individual at the center.

The conference, held online on May 21 and 22, 2021, addressed a crucial and controversial topic: facial recognition and mass biometric control. The chosen title, “Lasciateci la faccia” (Leave us our face), sounds like a clear appeal: to defend individual dignity and identity in a context where technological surveillance risks becoming systemic and pervasive.

Defending freedom, even in the face

For ISGroup, participating in e-privacy means not only providing support to a high-level technical-scientific event but also sharing an ethical orientation. We believe that innovation, to be sustainable, must respect fundamental rights. The face is one of the last frontiers of personal identity. Making it the object of systematic collection, profiling, and automated analysis represents a qualitative leap in surveillance that is incompatible with the principles of a liberal democracy.

A dense, critical, and necessary program

The XXIX edition saw the participation of jurists, technologists, activists, and academics, with talks on the risks of facial recognition, European regulations, the use of biometric technologies by public administration, and algorithmic biases in recommendation systems. The round tables addressed concrete issues: the compatibility between artificial intelligence and justice, the monetization of faces, and the ineffectiveness of current control mechanisms.

Among the most relevant contributions:

• Vincenzo Tiani on the European regulatory framework;
• Mariangela Fedozzi on the myth of “I have nothing to hide”;
• Giovanni Battista Gallus on the use of facial images in public administration;
• Salvatore Romano on biases in video platforms;
• Urbano Reviglio on the role of data brokers in surveillance capitalism.

Accessible and transparent documentation

In line with the spirit of the event, all proceedings, slides, and videos of the talks are available online, for free, through the conference website and the Winston Smith Project YouTube channel. The documentation includes timestamps for the talks, facilitating efficient consultation.

ISGroup, between technique and ethics

ISGroup SRL is an Italian cybersecurity boutique active since 2013, specializing in manual penetration testing, red teaming, and threat modeling. Our mission is based on the convergence of technical rigor and social responsibility. Supporting e-privacy means strengthening a network of aware, independent, and competent individuals who believe in a secure, transparent, and rights-respecting digital future.

Why we continue to be there

Because biometric surveillance is not a destiny. It is a political and technical choice. And because it is not enough to oppose it with words: we must act, inform, and design different solutions. For this reason, even in 2021, ISGroup chose to be there.

And it will continue to do so.