The UK is expanding its use of live facial recognition (LFR) scans of the public. Police in London will deploy systems around the perimeter of this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, advancing a surveillance tactic that has previously drawn backlash over privacy concerns.
The cameras are set to operate outside the official Carnival area, scanning crowds entering and exiting in an effort, the police say, aimed at preventing crime.
The use of biometric scanning and enhanced stop-and-search tactics accompanies the Met’s stated aim of minimizing violence during one of London’s largest cultural events, but the technology itself has already been tested, with many calling for it to be expanded to stadiums and protests.
Civil liberties groups have voiced sharp opposition to the renewed use of facial recognition tools, particularly in a context like the Carnival, where the majority of attendees are from Black and minority ethnic communities.
Rebecca Vincent, interim director of Big Brother Watch, condemned the plans, saying, “It is worrying to see the [Metropolitan Police] resorting to the use of invasive live facial recognition technology at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival after scrapping it when a prior trial led to widespread outcry on the grounds of bias.”
The Metropolitan Police maintain that the technology will only be used to identify people flagged on national databases.
Vincent argued the police should instead prioritize “a proper on-the-ground police presence to deal with actual criminals” rather than deploying a system that “compromises the privacy rights of millions of innocent carnival-goers and local residents.”
Roughly 7,000 officers and staff will be assigned each day of the Carnival.
