Liberty responds to Essex Police pausing use of facial recognition cameras due to racial bias

Responding to news of Essex Police pausing its use of facial recognition technology, Akiko Hart, Director of Liberty, said:

“The fact that Essex Police has put its use of live facial recognition cameras on hold due to concerns over racial bias should serve as wake-up call for the Government and police.

The body of evidence continues to grow on the discrimination within the technology, which is in widespread use by police forces across the UK. As a result, members of the public will continue to be wrongly identified as they go about living their lives – something we know will have a lasting negative impact on them.

Robust safeguards, oversight, and transparency on the use of facial recognition cameras should have been in place before they were ever introduced to our town centres and high streets. The Government must immediately stop the rollout out of this technology until we have the strongest possible legal frameworks in place to protect the rights of every member of the public.”