Campaigners condemn Met Police plans to use facial recognition technology

Civil liberties groups say the plans, which follow recent trials at Notting Hill carnival, are ‘intrusive’ and ‘an expansion of the surveillance state’

CONTROVERSIAL: Met Police chiefs last week announced the force's decision to roll out facial recognition technology

Metropolitan Police plans to begin the operational use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology have been met with criticism from civil liberties groups.

Met Police chiefs announced the decision last week (January 24).

A statement from the Met said that the use of facial recognition technology would be intelligence-led,  deployed to specific locations in London and would help officers  tackle serious crime, including serious violence, gun and knife crime, child sexual exploitation and help protect the vulnerable.

Last week’s announcement follows trials of facial recognition technology at the Notting Hill Carnival in 2017.

It was used to scan thousands of carnival-goers in an attempt to crackdown on “potential troublemakers” during the annual celebration.

At the time campaigners in the black community said that the action was discriminatory and had no basis in law and that plans to deploy it during the carnival were institutionally racist.

However, following last week’s announcement, Met officers stressed that it would not be used in a discriminatory way and that the technology would assist them in locating and arresting wanted people.

CONCERNS: When facial recognition technology was trialled at the Notting Hill Carnival in 2017 it was described as institutionally racist and intrusive

But Anna Bacciarelli from Amnesty International said the Met’s decision to use the technology defied warnings from rights groups, lawmakers and independent experts.

She said: “Facial recognition technology poses a huge threat to human rights, including the rights to privacy, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”

London Assembly Member Sian Berry said: “Both the results and the independent academic review of the Met’s trials of facial recognition showed that this intrusive technology was not effective, and used in a way that abused Londoners’ human rights.

“In the Assembly I was given assurance by the Deputy Mayor and Commissioner it would not be deployed unless ethical and legal barriers could be overcome.

“It appears the Met intend to ignore these promises and proceed with yet another deeply concerning infringement of our basic civil liberties.”

BETTER POLICING: Met Police chiefs say facial recognition technology will better enable them to catch criminals

And Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch said: “This decision represents an enormous expansion of the surveillance state and a serious threat to civil liberties in the UK.

“It flies in the face of the independent review showing the Met’s use of facial recognition was likely unlawful, risked harming public rights and was 81% inaccurate.

‘This is a breath-taking assault on our rights and we will challenge it, including by urgently considering next steps in our ongoing legal claim against the Met and the Home Secretary. This move instantly stains the new Government’s human rights record and we urge an immediate reconsideration.”

However Met Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave, said: “This is an important development for the Met and one which is vital in assisting us in bearing down on violence. As a modern police force, I believe that we have a duty to use new technologies to keep people safe in London.

“Independent research has shown that the public support us in this regard. Prior to deployment we will be engaging with our partners and communities at a local level.

“We are using a tried-and-tested technology, and have taken a considered and transparent approach in order to arrive at this point. Similar technology is already widely used across the UK, in the private sector.”

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