Surveillance Czar Encourages Prudence amid Home Office’s Push to Widen Facial Recognition Camera Usage
The government’s surveillance watchdog has emphasized the importance of public trust as the Home Office plans to expand the use of facial recognition technologies. Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner Fraser Sampson stated that while the expansion of facial recognition is inevitable, it must be proportional, appropriate, and accountable. The civil liberty group Big Brother Watch criticized the plan as undemocratic and Orwellian. The Home Office is seeking facial recognition systems suitable for a national rollout, including live facial recognition, retrospective facial recognition, and operator-initiated facial recognition. However, capabilities such as iris detection, lie detection, or analysis of someone’s walk are not being sought. The use of live systems is controlled through the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice to ensure fairness, proportionality, and absence of bias. Facial recognition trials have been controversial due to concerns over privacy, public consent, and inaccuracies and biases in the system. Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, called facial recognition an Orwellian mass surveillance tool. Megan Goulding, a lawyer at Liberty, stated that it is unacceptable for the government to seek new ways to invade privacy and should instead ban the use of facial recognition. Sampson stressed the importance of public understanding of the technology and its deployment and the need to address any disproportionate impacts on certain groups. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of secure and responsible data storage.
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