Big Brother Watch calls for immediate end to Government’s plan to develop a murder prediction tool

Big Brother Watch Team / April 9, 2025

Responding to news revealed by Statewatch Freedom of Information requests that the Government is using data from hundreds of thousands of people, including victims and witnesses, to build an AI-based murder prediction tool, Rebecca Vincent, interim director of Big Brother Watch, said:

“We are alarmed by reports that the government is developing a programme enabling machines to predict who might become a murderer. We know that algorithms can get it wrong, that AI can get it wrong, and that police themselves can get it wrong, even when crimes have already taken place – they must not be allowed to use pervasive technology to target innocent people who have not committed any crime. The privacy implications are enormous, representing a human rights nightmare reminiscent of science fiction that has no place in the real world, and certainly not in a democracy. This dangerous programme should be immediately scrapped and should never see the light of day.”

ENDS

NOTES

  • More about Big Brother Watch’s work on algorithmic decision making can be found on our website
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