Responding to the use of live facial recognition to police upcoming protests on 16 May 2026, Jake Hurfurt, Head of Research & Investigations at Big Brother Watch, said:
“Deploying live facial recognition at protests in this country is a frightening escalation. A biometric identity check cannot become a prerequisite for free speech in this country.
“The use of LFR at protests will put many people off expressing their views and that is a dangerous path for Britain to go down. Police already have the powers to detain anyone using violence at a protest, but treating everybody as a potential suspect is a chilling step reminiscent of authoritarian regimes, not a democracy.”
“This Orwellian technology has never been explicitly authorised by Parliament and now the police are using it to chill our most fundamental rights. Until laws regulating its use with robust safeguards, including protecting everybody’s right to protest, LFR use must be halted.”
Notes:
- Spokespeople are available for interview – please contact 07730439257 or info@bigbrotherwatch.org.uk
- Click here to find out more about Big Brother Watch’s campaign to stop facial recognition