Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Live Facial Recognition Surveillance

Monday 29 July 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Questions addressed potential merits of legislative proposals to protect privacy from live facial recognition surveillance.
  • Facial recognition technology is being used by police forces to identify suspects more quickly and accurately.
  • National Physical Laboratory testing found police algorithms to be highly accurate with no statistically significant differences based on ethnicity.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kim Johnson Lab Liverpool Riverside
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement Standards & Ethics
Context

The question addresses the use of facial recognition technology by police forces and its potential impact on privacy rights. The previous government did not introduce legislation to restrict its use.

Question

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to protect the right to privacy from live facial recognition surveillance.

Answer from Dan Jarvis

Facial recognition technology is being used effectively by police forces to identify suspects more quickly and accurately but, of course, it is essential that any new technologies are accompanied by strong safeguards and are underpinned by a robust legal framework. This Government will give careful consideration to the overall impact of all new policing technology.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for an assessment and legislative proposals was not directly addressed with concrete commitments or timelines.

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Q2 Kim Johnson Lab Liverpool Riverside
Policing & Resources Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The question addresses the use of facial recognition technology by police forces and its potential impact on privacy rights. The previous government did not introduce legislation to restrict its use.

Question

I welcome my hon. Friend's response, but facial recognition technology is being used by the police in publicly accessible places, and it breaches human rights and discriminates disproportionately against black people. The previous Government failed to introduce legislation to restrict its use, so can my hon. Friend confirm when there will be legislation to protect us? Will he meet me and representatives of civil liberties organisations to discuss this matter further?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

I understand that the National Physical Laboratory has independently tested the algorithms that the police have been using in live facial recognition cases and has found them to be highly accurate. It found no statistically significant differences based on ethnicity at the settings the police generally use. It is extremely important that any new technology used by the police is accompanied by strong safeguards, including to prevent bias or disproportionality, and that a robust legal framework is in place to govern the use of these new technologies.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for confirmation on legislation timing was not addressed with concrete commitments or timelines. The offer to meet was conditional and did not provide specifics.

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