The British Transport Police have begun a trial of live facial recognition cameras at London Bridge station. This is a major escalation in how live facial recognition surveillance has been deployed in Britain.
Matthew Feeney, advocacy manager at Big Brother Watch said:
“We all want train passengers to travel safely, but subjecting law-abiding passengers to mass biometric surveillance is a disproportionate and disturbing response.
“Facial recognition technology remains unregulated in the UK and police forces are writing their own facial recognition rules, including those governing how they use the technology and who they place on watchlists.”
It is “especially offensive in a democracy where neither the public nor Parliament has ever voted on its use”, he added.