The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has called on police services to take a “necessary and proportionate” approach in their use of facial recognition technology (FRT).
It has issued a statement on the subject at a time when police forces are gradually increasing their use of the technology but have prompted warnings from privacy groups and other observers that this could pose a threat to civil liberties.
A spokesperson for the ICO said: “Facial recognition technology can bring clear benefits in helping to prevent and detect crime, but it relies on processing large amounts of sensitive personal data.
"Therefore, its use must be necessary and proportionate, and its design must meet expectations of fairness and accuracy.
“The role of the ICO is to scrutinise how it is used in practice to ensure compliance with data protection law. We continue to work both with those using the technology and members of the public to support compliance and understanding of how the law applies.
“The use of FRT by the police is evolving, including with the introduction of operator initiated facial recognition (OIFR). People must be able to trust that technology is being used responsibly, and we are committed to ensuring appropriate use and improving public confidence about the safeguards surrounding its use.
“We have renewed our focus on police use of FRT this year and will publish further details when we launch our AI and biometrics strategy later in the spring.”
Mobile app
OIFR involves the use of a mobile phone app which makes it possible for a police officer to identify a person against images on a database of individuals who are missing, at risk or wanted. A deployment of the technology was launched late last year by South Wales Police and Gwent Police.
More established types of FRT have been deployed by a handful of police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, with the support of the Home Office. But there have been warnings about the risks to privacy from a former biometrics commissioner and a House of Lords committee.
An indication of the momentum towards increased use of the technology came earlier this week with the setting up of a procurement framework by BlueLight commercial for the emergency services.
