Met Police to Pilot Facial Recognition Identity Checks, Mayor Confirms
The Metropolitan Police are set to begin using automated facial recognition technology to scan citizens' faces and verify their identities, a move that has been endorsed by the Mayor of London but met with criticism from opponents. This pilot program, announced by Sadiq Khan, involves 100 officers utilizing roaming facial recognition technology, commonly found on smartphones, for a period of six months. The initiative was revealed in response to questions from an opposition politician regarding the increasing use of AI-powered policing tools.
Despite the Met's website stating that it does not currently employ operator-initiated facial recognition, the technology has already been deployed in various locations, including Croydon, Manchester, and South Wales, using cameras mounted on vans and in fixed positions. Retrospective facial recognition systems are also widely utilized across the UK.
A recent incident involving the police and a man arrested for a burglary in a city 100 miles away, which he had never visited, highlights the potential for errors in facial recognition technology. The software mistakenly identified the man, who was of South Asian heritage, as another individual. Additionally, the Met has entered into a £490,000 three-month contract with the controversial American AI firm Palantir to detect rogue officers based on their conduct.
Zoë Garbett, a Green Party London Assembly member, expressed concern over the Met's new technology pilot, describing it as an 'alarming change'. She emphasized the potential impact on the relationship between the police and the public, noting that officers will be able to scan people's faces using handheld devices.
However, the Mayor Khan refuted this claim, stating that the technology will be used during police stops and when officers doubt the public's identification of themselves. He argued that the alternative is detaining individuals and taking them to the police station, and the device helps avoid such inconvenience by verifying identities.
The pilot comes at a time when the Equality and Human Rights Commission has called for an independent oversight body to regulate the use of facial recognition technology in the UK. Sarah Jones, the policing minister, praised the technology as a significant breakthrough in catching criminals since DNA matching. Nevertheless, Mary-Ann Stephenson, the chair of the equalities watchdog, warned of the potential for inaccurate identifications and racial disparities in false positives, emphasizing the need for a robust legal framework.
Operator-initiated facial recognition is already in use by South Wales Police, where officers employ the NeoFace algorithm on their smartphones to confirm the identities of unknown individuals suspected of being missing, at risk of serious harm, or wanted. The technology can also identify dead or unconscious people but cannot be used covertly. The use of facial recognition technology has sparked debates about civil liberties and the potential for misuse.
Garbett expressed shock at the mayor's disclosure of the trial, emphasizing the lack of a clear legal framework for live facial recognition and the expansion of its use with handheld devices. She argued that no one in Britain should be required to identify themselves to the police without a valid reason, and this unregulated technology poses a threat to that fundamental right.
In March 2024, Khan assured the London Assembly that the MPS would consult stakeholders, including the London Policing Ethics Panel, if operator-initiated facial recognition were to be employed. A 10-week consultation on facial recognition technology was launched by Jones in December, highlighting its success in removing dangerous criminals from the streets and its potential to enhance public safety.
The Met reported the arrest of over 100 wanted criminals in the first three months of the Croydon live facial recognition pilot, where cameras were mounted on lampposts. Lindsey Chiswick, the Met's lead on facial recognition, described the technology as an innovative tool that aids in quickly and accurately verifying identities, avoiding unnecessary detentions.
