The European Union is considering banning facial recognition technology in public areas for up to five years, to give it time to work out how to prevent abuses, according to EU proposals .

The EU could temporarily ban the use of facial recognition technology in public places such as train stations, sport stadiums and shopping centers over fears about creeping surveillance of European citizens. A prohibition lasting between three and five years is seen as a way for Brussels to manage the risks said to be posed by the breakneck speed at which the software is being adopted.

Under the proposal, a new regulatory framework for artificial intelligence could “include a time-limited ban on the use of facial recognition technology in public spaces”.

The paper states that the “use of facial recognition technology by private or public actors in public spaces would be prohibited for a definite period during which a sound methodology for assessing the impacts of this technology and possible risk management measures could be identified and developed”.

The plan by the EU’s executive - set out in an 18-page white paper - comes amid a global debate about the systems driven by artificial intelligence and widely used by law enforcement agencies.

The EU Commission said new tough rules may have to be introduced to bolster existing regulations protecting Europeans’ privacy and data rights.

“Building on these existing provisions, the future regulatory framework could go further and include a time-limited ban on the use of facial recognition technology in public spaces,” the EU document said.

During that ban, of between three to five years, “a sound methodology for assessing the impacts of this technology and possible risk management measures could be identified and developed.”

Exceptions to the ban could be made for security projects as well as research and development, the paper said. The document also suggested imposing obligations on both developers and users of artificial intelligence and that EU countries should appoint authorities to monitor the new rules.