Responding to news that the Equality and Human Rights Commission will intervene in the case brought by Big Brother Watch Director Silkie Carlo and anti-knife crime community worker Shaun Thompson, Interim Director of Big Brother Watch, Rebecca Vincent, said:
“The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s intervention in this landmark legal challenge is hugely welcome, necessary, and incredibly timely. The rapid proliferation of invasive live facial recognition technology without any legislation governing its use is one of the most pressing human rights concerns in the UK today. Live facial recognition surveillance turns our faces into barcodes and makes us a nation of suspects who, as we’ve seen in Shaun’s case, can be falsely accused, grossly mistreated and forced to prove our innocence to authorities.
We are supporting this case precisely because of the fundamental rights issues at stake, and it’s important that the human rights regulator weighs in on this too. No other democracy in the world spies on its population with live facial recognition in the cavalier and chilling way the UK is starting to, and it is alarming that the Government is seeking to expand its use across the country. Given this crucial ongoing legal action, the Home Office and police’s investment in this dangerous and discriminatory technology is wholly inappropriate and must stop.”
NOTES
- Spokespeople are available for interview. Please direct enquiries or requests for interviews to info@bigbrotherwatch.org.uk or 07730439257
- More detail on Big Brother Watch’s work on facial recognition is available on our website – https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/campaigns/stop-facial-recognition/