UK Deploys Mass Facial-Recognition Amid Rights Criticism

The United Kingdom has become the only European country to deploy real-time facial-recognition technology on a large scale, scanning millions of faces at locations ranging from supermarkets to major events like London's Notting Hill Carnival. The Metropolitan Police defend the technology as an effective crime-fighting tool, claiming it has led to over 1,000 arrests since early 2024, with nearly 4.7 million faces scanned this year alone. However, the widespread use of this technology has raised significant privacy and human rights concerns, with campaigners and scholars warning that it treats citizens like suspects and erodes anonymity in public spaces. Critics highlight the absence of legislative oversight or clear safeguards, leaving police to create their own rules for deployment. Additionally, private businesses such as supermarkets and clothing stores are using facial recognition systems to combat shoplifting, often without customer consent, intensifying worries about surveillance and consent. Human rights advocates emphasize the chilling effect on democracy and civic life, noting that mass facial recognition alters the experience of living in a city by removing the possibility of remaining unidentified in public.