London police to expand live facial recognition use

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is set to deploy static live facial recognition (LFR) cameras in London's West End and Soho by the end of this year., according to The Register. This expansion follows a six-month pilot program conducted in the south London borough of Croydon.

Static LFR involves temporarily mounting cameras on infrastructure like lampposts, with remote monitoring and officers on the ground identifying individuals matched against a watchlist. The MPS reported that during the Croydon pilot, over 470,000 people passed the cameras, resulting in 173 arrests. One notable arrest led to a two-year prison sentence for a registered sex offender.

However, civil liberties groups like Big Brother Watch have raised concerns, urging the Met to halt deployment until Parliament legislates on the technology's use. They cite potential issues like racial bias, referencing a case where a man was wrongly arrested due to a facial recognition match. MPS Commissioner Mark Rowley plans to increase the use of technology, including LFR and AI analysis of CCTV footage, to enhance public safety, despite budget constraints.

Source: The Register

Written by

Kelley Damore Chief Content Officer CyberRisk Alliance

Kelley Damore is Chief Content Officer at CyberRisk Alliance, where she leads content strategy across the company’s digital brands, research, communities and live events serving CISOs and security practitioners. At CyberRisk Alliance, she is focused on delivering 365-day engagement, trusted journalism and actionable insights to help security leaders navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape.