MPs join campaign group's call for facial recognition ban

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

MPs and peers from all sides have called for an “immediate stop” to the use of live facial recognition surveillance by police and private companies.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis MP, Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey, Green MP Caroline Lucas and former shadow Attorney General Baroness Shami Chakrabarti are among the 65 members of the House of Commons and House of Lords who campaign Big Brother Watch say have backed their call for a halt to the technology’s use.

The joint statement is also backed by 31 groups including Liberty, Amnesty International and the Race Equality Foundation. Police have deployed live facial recognition at large-scale public events, including King Charles’s coronation.

The statement said: “We hold differing views about live facial recognition surveillance, ranging from serious concerns about its incompatibility with human rights, to the potential for discriminatory impact, the lack of safeguards, the lack of an evidence base, an unproven case of necessity or proportionality, the lack of a sufficient legal basis, the lack of parliamentary consideration, and the lack of a democratic mandate. READ MORE: Inside the empty old Debenhams store on Market Street READ MORE: Activists have been protesting outside MP's office for TWELVE weeks “We call on UK police and private companies to immediately stop using live facial recognition for public surveillance.” The statement comes after Policing Minister Chris Philp announced government plans to make UK passport photos searchable by police with facial recognition technology.