Avon and Somerset Police to introduce Live Facial Recognition technology
Avon and Somerset Police announced plans to deploy live facial recognition technology, joining a small but growing number of UK forces using the surveillance tool in public spaces.
Why this matters: Live facial recognition is not a camera upgrade. It turns any public space into a checkpoint where your face is checked against a database without your knowledge or consent. Most people walking past a camera have no idea it is happening. The burden falls entirely on the public to trust that the watchlist is accurate, the technology works fairly across different faces, and the police have clear rules about what happens to data on people who are not flagged. That trust needs to be earned, not assumed.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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