With the Met primed to use live facial recognition tech at the upcoming Notting Hill Carnival, primary legislation is needed urgently, writes Rebecca Vincent in today’s Notebook

Police use of live facial recognition heats up at Notting Hill Carnival

As summer temperatures heat up, so too is police use of live facial recognition. The Home Office and the London Metropolitan Police have been working hard to present a positive image of this invasive technology, doing the media rounds with stories boasting of the number of arrests made and unveiling plans to increase the number of live facial recognition deployments. For the first time, a permanent network of fixed live facial recognition cameras is set to be installed in Croydon, South London, reportedly in September. The Met has also announced it will be using live facial recognition at the Notting Hill Carnival later this month, despite the fact that use of the controversial technology was scrapped after trials at the event in 2016 and 2017 led to widespread outcry on grounds of discrimination and bias.

Despite this proliferation, there remains no legislative basis for the use of live facial recognition, with the police and private sector alike being left to write their own rules for where and how it is used. Home secretary Yvette Cooper announced a “governance framework” was forthcoming,........

© City A.M.