Mail Online – Scotland poised to introduce live facial recognition technology — Big Brother Watch

Police in Scotland are planning to implement live facial recognition technology, igniting a renewed debate over its ‘Orwellian’ nature.

The Mail has learned that Police Scotland intends to use these cameras to target shoplifters and individuals who have violated bail conditions.

Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations at Big Brother Watch, said live facial recognition technology is ‘incompatible with a democratic society and should be banned’.

He said: ‘Britain needs to have a proper conversation about the role big data and AI [artificial intelligence] plays in our policing, rather than allowing the government and the police to cobble together patchwork legal justifications to experiment on the public with intrusive and Orwellian technology.

‘We’re sleepwalking into a high-tech police state.’

A spokesman added: ‘At a time when liberal democracies around the world and bodies like the EU are banning or scaling back the use of this Orwellian technology, which is rarely seen outside of Russia and China, expanding the use of AI-powered surveillance would be a step backwards for human rights in Scotland and would put the privacy of millions of Scots at risk.

‘In England, the Metropolitan Police are currently facing a legal challenge regarding the use of live facial recognition in the capital.

‘Police Scotland should learn from the multi-million pound mistake made by the Met in experimenting with this technology in London – and keep it out of Scotland.’

Mail Online – Big Brother fears as Police Scotland set to introduce facial recognition cameras

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