I share concerns about the growing use of facial recognition technology, in particular, how it impacts our right to privacy, its track record of racial discrimination, and its collection of ‘faceprints’.
Both during the latest Westminster Hall Debate, and outside of the debate, these concerns and others have been raised with the Government. For example, the Ada Lovelace Institute has written directly to the Home Secretary to call for the introduction of a statutory regulatory framework for the use of facial recognition technology.
Diana Johnson, the Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, said during the debate:
‘As we have heard today, facial recognition technology is a powerful tool. In considering its current and future use, we must balance privacy concerns with the expectation that we place on the police to keep our streets safe. We particularly need to consider how much support the police may require from Government and Parliament to set and manage the rules for using technologies such as facial recognition. We must think about how we protect the public from potential misuse of those technologies, and we need to consider how the application of the rules and regulations is scrutinised.
‘I am therefore committed to a programme of engagement in the coming months to inform that thinking. Building on initial conversations with police, I will hold a series of roundtables, for example, with regulators and civil society groups before the end of the year. I look forward to hearing at first hand from a broad range of parties on the subject.’
I welcome the Minister’s commitment to engage with various groups, regulators and the police to gain a greater understanding of facial recognition technology and the concerns surrounding it.
I hope that this will be the starting point to codifying and regulating the use of this technology through legislation.