Discriminatory facial recognition technology is being used on our streets and in public places like shopping centres. It's time to ban it.
Facial recognition cameras scan everyone in range to make uniquely identifiable maps of our faces – more like fingerprints than photographs. These maps are then compared to images on secretive watch lists which can be of anyone, whether or not they're suspected of wrongdoing.
Police have been using it in public since 2016. London's Metropolitan Police has recently ignored a damning report into its use of the tech to roll it out across the capital. Private companies have also used it in busy shopping centres and transport hubs, scanning thousands of people every day.
It must be banned.
Facial recognition cameras snatch our biometric data without consent and often without our knowledge – clearly breaching our right to privacy.
Research shows that when we do know we're being watched, we behave differently. We shouldn't have to change how we live our lives to protect ourselves from unwarranted police surveillance.
And if you're a woman or a person of colour, the tech discriminates against you. You're more likely to be misidentified and stopped by the police. The police also have a history of using it in locations with predominantly BAME or working-class populations, embedding discriminatory approaches to policing.
Creating a law governing its use will not solve the human rights concerns or the tech's in-built discrimination. A number of US cities have recognised this and banned its use for policing and security purposes.
We must follow their lead in the UK.
