Data protection halts AI monitoring in Bremen swimming pool
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Bremen’s municipal swimming pool operator, Bremer Bäder GmbH, stopped using an artificial intelligence system designed to detect potential drowning incidents at the Westbad in Bremen, Germany.
The company paused the system because it had not completed a required data protection impact assessment. The AI system, developed by Israeli firm Lynxight, used 19 cameras focused on the swimming area to identify people at risk of drowning and alert staff.
European data protection regulations require an assessment before implementing systems that conduct extensive monitoring of public areas. Bremen’s data protection commissioner, Timo Utermark, welcomed the delay, stating the assessment “must have been created before commissioning.” The Lynxight system is currently in use in around 200 swimming pools across Germany, including facilities in Osnabrück and Hamburg, where its deployment involved close collaboration with local data protection authorities. Bremen previously introduced AI monitoring on its public transportation system to identify aggressive behaviour.
The city plans to evaluate the effectiveness of that system, named “AI-Watch”, at the end of its trial phase, measuring how often it helps prevent crimes or protect people. The evaluation will determine if the system successfully identified incidents and led to effective legal action.
