Research and analysis

Police use of live facial recognition technology: ethical issues

Interim report of the Biometrics and Forensics Ethics Group Facial Recognition Working Group, February 2019.

Documents

Ethical issues arising from the police use of live facial recognition technology

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Details

This briefing document outlines some of the ethical issues raised by the use of live (real-time) face recognition technology for policing purposes.

It focuses on the use of this technology in relatively ‘controlled’ environments; namely public spaces where people are gathered and relatively static (for example, concert venues, sports stadiums, public rallies) and those with clearly defined entry and exit points or where people are ‘channelled’ past the cameras.

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Published 26 February 2019