‘No justifiable basis’ for police facial recognition, say MSPs

UK – Members of the Scottish Parliament have said that there is ‘no justifiable basis’ for Police Scotland to use live facial recognition (LFR) technology, citing concerns over privacy, human rights and data protection. 

Security camera facial recognition_crop

The review from the justice sub-committee on policing concluded that technology currently available to the police service is ‘known to discriminate against females, and those from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities’.

To use LFR technology, the police force would need to demonstrate that it meets human rights and data protection requirements.

“Prior to any decision to introduce live facial recognition technology to policing in Scotland, it is essential that a robust and transparent assessment of its necessity and accuracy is undertaken, and that the potential impacts on people and communities are understood,” the committee report said.

Police Scotland does not currently use LFR technology but stated in its 10-year strategy its intention to introduce it by 2026.

The report was published as London’s Metropolitan Police Service began using the technology to locate wanted individuals.

In January, the Information Commissioner’s Office urged the government to establish a binding set of standards on the issue ‘as a matter of priority'. 

We hope you enjoyed this article.
Research Live is published by MRS.

The Market Research Society (MRS) exists to promote and protect the research sector, showcasing how research delivers impact for businesses and government.

Members of MRS enjoy many benefits including tailoured policy guidance, discounts on training and conferences, and access to member-only content.

For example, there's an archive of winning case studies from over a decade of MRS Awards.

Find out more about the benefits of joining MRS here.

0 Comments


Display name

Email

Join the discussion

Newsletter
Stay connected with the latest insights and trends...
Sign Up
Latest From MRS

Our latest training courses

Our new 2025 training programme is now launched as part of the development offered within the MRS Global Insight Academy

See all training

Specialist conferences

Our one-day conferences cover topics including CX and UX, Semiotics, B2B, Finance, AI and Leaders' Forums.

See all conferences

MRS reports on AI

MRS has published a three-part series on how generative AI is impacting the research sector, including synthetic respondents and challenges to adoption.

See the reports

Progress faster...
with MRS 
membership

Mentoring

CPD/recognition

Webinars

Codeline

Discounts