The Metropolitan Police are set to start a 6-month trial of Operator-Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR) technology using a mobile phone app. Civil liberties campaigners have warned that “a vast array of personal records” could be accessed through the technology.
Jasleen Chaggar at Big Brother Watch, said “Placing a tool in the hand of officers which can lift the veil of anonymity in public in a matter of seconds by simply pointing a phone at a face is a disaster for civil liberties.”
She added, “the Met has a history of rolling out facial recognition so-called ‘pilots’ that quietly become permanent fixtures – they must immediately halt OIFR trials until the Home Office bring forward clear laws that strictly limit and safeguard against its everyday use.”
BBC – Police to trial handheld facial recognition devices
Guardian – Met police to pilot facial recognition identity checks, mayor confirms
Telegraph – Met to use handheld facial recognition cameras for first time