A coalition of politicians and privacy campaigners is calling for the immediate cessation of facial recognition surveillance by both police and private companies, citing concerns over human rights violations, potential discrimination, and the lack of a democratic mandate. They have raised these issues in direct response to the government’s announcement of plans allowing police to access passport photos for criminal investigations.
The Home Office counters, stating that facial recognition has a “sound legal basis” and has already led to the arrest of numerous criminals. In addition, the technology––according to the spokesperson––could be an essential tool in locating missing or vulnerable individuals while freeing up police to conduct more investigations and patrols.
Akin to a police lineup, live facial recognition cameras scan the faces of the public in predetermined locations, then compare those faces with people on “watch lists”, or individuals sought by police or courts for association with particular crimes. While UK police departments who utilize the technology inform citizens in advance of when and where it will be deployed and physically alert the public to the presence of cameras, this coalition demands that facial recognition immediately be banned.
Members of this coalition represent a broad range of political affiliations, from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats, along with campaigning organizations such as Amnesty, Index on Censorship, and Big Brother Watch. The UK’s surveillance camera commissioner has no less harshly criticized the new plans, suggesting that the scheme could damage public trust and make the population feel as though they were living in a “digital line-up”.
Both South Wales and Metropolitan police have previously drawn criticism over the use of the technology. In the case of non-wanted individuals, biometric data is immediately deleted, and not stored. In contrast, Frasers Group, operator of Sports Direct, Flannels, and House of Fraser, recently defended its use of live facial recognition cameras in stores, citing crime-reduction as a positive outcome
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