Facial recognition use by police sweeping the UK

The use of face recognition technology by police in the UK is the subject of a detailed article in WIRED magazine. The highly controversial technology is being rapidly expanded across England and Wales, with police being instructed to double their use of facial recognition against databases and to work with stores to identify shoplifters. The article addresses concerns from civil liberties groups, experts, and 65 UK  lawmakers who have called for a ban on face recognition technology in public places. The rapid expansion of face recognition technology comes at a time when trust in the police is at an all-time low following a series of high-profile scandals. In a statement contributing to the article, Madeleine Stone, senior advocacy officer at Big Brother Watch, said that the "UK is emerging as an outlier as the rest of the democratic world including the EU and multiple US cities are moving fast to reign in this highly intrusive technology."

A related WIRED (£) article addresses the use of the facial recognition search engine PimEyes by online investigators to identify unknown bodies. BBW's senior advocacy officer, Madeleine Stone, expressed concern about the use of such surveillance tools, stating that while some may have good intentions, they pose a significant risk. Facial recognition firms that sell this technology not only violate the dignity of deceased individuals, but also infringe on the privacy rights of billions of individuals whose images they have taken, processed, and used without their consent.

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