Commenting on British Transport Police deploying facial recognition at London stations, Big Brother Watch Advocacy Manager Matthew Feeney 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, including British Transport Police, are writing their own facial recognition rules, including those governing how they use the technology and who they place on watchlists.
It is especially concerning that British Transport Police are moving ahead with facial recognition deployments before the Home Office has finished its consultation on a legal framework for police use of facial recognition technology.
The use of this technology is especially offensive in a democracy where neither the public nor Parliament has ever voted on its use. Sadly, the UK stands out among democracies when it comes to the widespread use of live facial recognition. The Government must take immediate steps to rein in police use of this technology.”