CNDP (Morocco) — All public and private bodies (sector-wide)
By Deliberation D-194-2019 the CNDP imposed a moratorium on facial-recognition technology from 2 September 2019, suspending any authorisation for its use pending a governance framework (later extended).
Key takeaway — how to prevent this
Biometric data (faces, iris, fingerprints) needs an explicit lawful basis or consent. Scraping or capturing it without one is unlawful across the EU/UK and many US states (e.g. Illinois BIPA) — and draws the largest fines.
Case brief
Read from the decision on 2026-09-19. Every holding carries a short verbatim quote from that text (in FR, the document's language).
- Decided by
- Commission Nationale de contrôle de la protection des Données à caractère Personnel
- Parties
- Commission Nationale de contrôle de la protection des Données à caractère Personnel v. —
- Decision date
- August 30, 2019
- Remedy
- A 7-month moratorium starting September 2, 2019, during which no authorizations for facial recognition technology will be issued.
- Appeal
- Appeal status not stated
Key holdings
The CNDP approved a seven-month moratorium on facial recognition starting September 2, 2019.
“en date du vendredi 30 août 2019, la CNDP a validé le principe d’un moratoire de 7 mois, entrant en vigueur le 2 septembre 2019.”
No authorization for facial recognition technology will be issued during the moratorium period.
“Durant cette période, aucune autorisation ne sera délivrée concernant l’utilisation de cette technologie”
The moratorium aims to allow broad consultation with public, private, civil society, and expert actors to prepare comprehensive regulatory standards.
“afin d’élaborer sur la base d’une consultation élargie des acteurs publics, privés et de représentants de la société civile et d’experts nationaux et internationaux, une délibération pertinente en la matière.”
In plain English
On August 30, 2019, Morocco's data protection authority, the Commission Nationale de contrôle de la protection des Données à caractère Personnel (CNDP), announced a moratorium regarding facial recognition technology. Facial recognition is used for identifying and authenticating individuals through physical features of their faces. Recognizing the necessity to protect personal data and privacy, CNDP determined that the use of this technology requires rigorous regulation. To address these concerns, CNDP approved deliberation D-194-2019 on August 30, 2019. This decision established a 7-month moratorium starting on September 2, 2019. During this 7-month timeframe, the authority confirmed that no authorization would be granted for facial recognition technology. The primary objective of this temporary pause is to give CNDP time to engage in broad consultations. These discussions involve public bodies, private actors, civil society representatives, and both national and international experts to establish an appropriate framework for facial recognition.
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