UK Government expands police use of facial recognition vans
6 days ago
- #police surveillance
- #privacy concerns
- #facial recognition
- The UK government is expanding the use of live facial recognition (LFR) vans across seven police forces in England to locate suspects for serious crimes.
- Ten new LFR vans will be deployed, doubling the current number, with forces including Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and Thames Valley.
- The technology scans faces in public spaces and matches them against a watchlist, leading to 580 arrests in London over 12 months.
- Critics, including Big Brother Watch, argue the expansion is alarming and lacks proper legislative safeguards.
- A legal challenge is pending against the Met Police's use of LFR, citing privacy and false identification concerns.
- The government is consulting on new legal frameworks to ensure transparency and public confidence in the technology's use.
- The Information Commissioner's Office states that facial recognition must comply with data protection laws, ensuring lawful and proportionate use.
- Home Office Minister Dame Diana Johnson defends the technology as a proportionate tool for policing serious offenses.
- Independent testing claims the LFR algorithm is accurate and unbiased regarding ethnicity, age, or gender.
- The government has also fulfilled a pledge to provide a named, contactable officer in every neighborhood in England and Wales.