UK Government Calls for Expanding Live Facial Recognition Amid Riots, Civil Rights Groups React

Key Takeaways

• The U.K. has been gripped by a wave of far-right riots.
• Responding the unrest, Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to expand the use of live facial recognition.
• However, the technology faces fierce resistance from anti-surveillance campaigners.

After a week of unrest in the U.K., which has seen anti-immigrant rioters attack mosques and businesses and even set fire to a police station, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised “to do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice.”

But his proposal to expand the use of live facial recognition by the police has sparked an outcry among civil rights campaigners.

Keir Starmer Takes Hard Line on Far-Right Riots 

With the U.K. gripped by far-right violence, the government announced the formation of a new policing program on Aug. 1. The scheme is intended to facilitate better information-sharing between police forces across the country and enable them to mobilize riot units faster and more effectively. 

“It will also consider how we can deploy facial recognition technology, which is already used by some forces, more widely across the country,” a Downing Street statement said . “This will mean criminals can be targeted, found and brought to justice quickly.”

Opposition to Facial Recognition Rises

The government’s latest plans have added to growing concerns among anti-surveillance campaigners about the use of facial recognition algorithms on members of the public.

The technology is currently used by the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police to detect and prevent crime. Private businesses have also deployed facial recognition software to identify shoplifters.

However, its use by police forces and businesses has been subject to legal challenges. 

In one case, Londoner Shaun Thompson is suing  the Metropolitan Police after he was wrongfully detained having been misidentified by their facial recognition system. In another, a teenage girl who claims she was wrongly identified as a shoplifter is suing the software developer Facewatch.

Privacy Campaigners Objections

Commenting on the government’s latest plans, Big Brother Watch Director Silkie Carlo said: “Expanding live facial recognition means millions of innocent Britons being subjected to automated ID checks. These are the surveillance tactics of China and Russia, and Starmer seems ignorant of the civil liberties implications.”

As well as the risk of misidentification, critics argue the technology represents a dangerously authoritarian expansion of the surveillance state. 

Because facial recognition systems collect and process biometric data without consent, they have already been banned in the E.U. , although the recently enacted AI Act creates an exemption for law enforcement.

Shortly after the government announced its intention to roll the technology out nationwide, Starmer suggested the police crackdown could target potential rioters “before they can even board a train.”

The dystopian implication of his phrasing is that would-be troublemakers could be targeted by the police before any offense has been committed. Amid mounting criticism  of the Labour government from libertarian quarters, such policies emphasize law and order. However, they also raise concerns about civil liberties, privacy issues, and the potential for overreach of government power.

About the Author

James Morales

Although his background is in crypto and FinTech news, these days, James likes to roam across CCN’s editorial breadth, focusing mostly on digital technology. Having always been fascinated by the latest innovations, he uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.

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