New code of practice planned for UK businesses using facial recognition and biometrics
UK regulators are planning a new code of practice to govern how businesses use facial recognition and other biometric technologies. The move signals a push to set clearer rules around commercial biometric surveillance in Britain.
Why this matters: Facial recognition in shops, offices, and public spaces is already happening. The question is whether companies using it face any real rules or just guidance they can quietly ignore. A code of practice can be meaningful or it can be a fig leaf. What matters is whether it sets hard limits on how biometric data is collected, stored, and shared, and what happens to a business that gets it wrong. Without teeth, this is just paperwork. People whose faces are being scanned deserve more than a voluntary promise.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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