In the quantum technology innovation landscape, quantum sensing technology (QST) gets relatively little attention. Compared to other quantum technologies, though, QSTs have a more advanced technology-readiness and wider possible application areas, ranging from defence, intelligence, space, biomedicine, mining, and environmental monitoring. QSTs may improve the performance of current advanced sensing systems and allow new applications, which could have significant societal implications. QSTs could play a crucial role in transforming the surveillance capabilities of state and non-state actors, such as of military, intelligence services, law enforcement and commercial entities. And with advanced computational capacity, these actors could wield enormous power in sensor data analysis. Most QSTs are currently being tested in lab environments, and it is hard to predict exactly how and where QSTs will be adopted. Still, developments in QSTs warrant an early exploration of policy implications and their possible effects on fundamental rights, privacy and data protection, in particular.
