Across the world, live facial recognition technologies are being used in all manner of ways to stifle protest, harass minority communities and impinge upon human rights. These systems violate the right to privacy, threaten the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, and to equality and non-discrimination.

Here in Scotland, Police Scotland last year launched a ‘national conversation’ about the potential use of the technology; in doing so causing serious alarm among human rights, community and equalities organisations across the country.

Earlier this week, the Scottish Police Authority published a report concluding that the results of that conversation were not definitive, and that further evidence and views needed to be gathered before consulting on future implementation.

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This sounds like a cautious and consultative approach. But there is a risk that it could signal the beginning of the shift from discussion to preparation and then to deployment. Such a move would be of deep concern, given the threat that the technology poses to human rights, racial equality and public trust in policing.

Live facial recognition uses cameras that scan people’s faces in real time – usually in environments like the street - and compares them, using artificial intelligence, against a ‘watchlist’, comprising of a database of images taken from police databases. A list of potential matches is then created for police forces to scrutinise.

The risks – and real-life impact – of this technology is seismic. As part of an infrastructure of........

© Herald Scotland