The government's legislative proposal on police use of real-time AI facial recognition
What's at stake: Adoption would give police a powerful new tool for analyzing images and identifying people in public spaces to fight serious crime, but it entails restrictions on rights for a potentially large number of people and raises questions about whether adequate legal safeguards, oversight, and avenues for appeal are in place.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the Riksdag should adopt the government's legislative proposal giving the Police Authority and, in some cases, the Security Service the power to use real-time AI facial-recognition systems to fight crime, or whether the proposal should be rejected as too far-reaching an intrusion on personal privacy.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee shares the government's assessment that law-enforcement authorities need effective tools to reverse the trend in crime, agrees that the regulation strikes a reasonable balance between crime-fighting and the protection of personal privacy, with requirements for authorization, notification, and proportionality, and therefore supports the government's legislative proposal.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (C)
The reservation holds that the proposal goes considerably further than necessary and involves an intrusion on personal privacy that conflicts with the constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, that decision-making power which under the Instrument of Government should rest with parliament is shifted to courts and prosecutors, that genuine avenues for appeal are missing, and that oversight is heavily curtailed, and therefore wants the legislative proposal rejected in full.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: adopting the government's legislative proposal and rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 1 by C.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
V
–
Yes 19/1/0/1
S
–
Yes 106/0/0/0
MP
–
Yes 18/0/0/0
Cown reservation
–
No 0/24/0/0
L
–
Yes 16/0/0/0
KD
–
Yes 19/0/0/0
M
–
Yes 64/0/0/2
SD
–
Yes 69/0/0/1
Broke with the party line
VJessica Wetterling(V, Västra Götalands läns västra)
No — party line: Yes
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
The Riksdag adopts the Government's proposal for
1. an act on the use of AI systems for real-time facial recognition for crime prevention purposes,
2. an act on amendments to the act (2026:000) on the use of AI systems for real-time facial recognition for crime prevention purposes,
3. an act on amendments to the act (1957:668) on extradition for crimes,
4. an act on amendments to the act (2000:562) on international legal assistance in criminal matters,
5. an act on amendments to the act (2003:1156) on surrender from Sweden under a European arrest warrant,
6. an act on amendments to the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (2009:400),
7. an act on amendments to the act (2011:1165) on surrender from Sweden under a Nordic arrest warrant,
8. an act on amendments to the act (2017:1000) on a European investigation order,
9. an act on amendments to the act (2021:709) with supplementary provisions on criminal cooperation between the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Thereby the Riksdag approves Government Bill 2025/26:150 points 1-9 and rejects motion
2025/26:3956 by Ulrika Liljeberg et al. (C).
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen antar regeringens förslag till
1. lag om användning av AI-system för ansiktsigenkänning i realtid för brottsbekämpande ändamål,
2. lag om ändring i lagen (2026:000) om användning av AI-system för ansiktsigenkänning i realtid för brottsbekämpande ändamål,
3. lag om ändring i lagen (1957:668) om utlämning för brott,
4. lag om ändring i lagen (2000:562) om internationell rättslig hjälp i brottmål,
5. lag om ändring i lagen (2003:1156) om överlämnande från Sverige enligt en europeisk arresteringsorder,
6. lag om ändring i offentlighets- och sekretesslagen (2009:400),
7. lag om ändring i lagen (2011:1165) om överlämnande från Sverige enligt en nordisk arresteringsorder,
8. lag om ändring i lagen (2017:1000) om en europeisk utredningsorder,
9. lag om ändring i lagen (2021:709) med kompletterande bestämmelser om straffrättsligt samarbete mellan Europeiska unionen och Förenade kungariket.
Därmed bifaller riksdagen proposition 2025/26:150 punkterna 1-9 och avslår motion
2025/26:3956 av Ulrika Liljeberg m.fl. (C).
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag approved the Government's proposal to give the Police Authority the opportunity to use AI technology for real-time facial recognition.
The proposal means that the Police Authority shall be allowed to use AI technology if it is absolutely necessary to locate or identify a specific person
who is suspected of being a victim of human trafficking, trafficking or exploitation or who is missing and suspected of being a victim of a crime
if there is an imminent risk that the person will commit a serious crime that poses a danger to another's life or physical safety
who may reasonably be suspected of having committed a certain serious crime for which the penalty scale includes imprisonment for four years or more, or such penalty may follow for attempt, preparation or insigation to such crimes, for the purpose of investigating or prosecuting the crime
who has been convicted of such a serious crime, for the purpose of implementing the criminal sentence.
The use of the technology must be proportionate and permission from a prosecutor or court is required. In urgent cases, however, use may begin without permission, and an application for permission must be made within 24 hours.
The new law and other legislative amendments enter into force on 1 July 2026.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants to reject the government's proposal to allow police to use real-time AI facial recognition systems for crime prevention. (C) — Reservation 1