Police in London have launched a public trial of face recognition tech. In Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, the tech will scan faces in crowds and run them against a database of people wanted by London's Metropolitan Police and the courts.If the technology alerts officers to a match, police on the ground will review it and carry out further checks to confirm the individual's identity.Privacy campaigner Big Brother Watch has described the use of such technology as “authoritarian, dangerous and lawless”.The scanners will be deployed for around eight hours per day and positioned visibly alongside a uniformed police presence. The rollout is part of a wider policing strategy to reduce crime and violence in Westminster.Passers-by are entitled to avoid being scanned, and all footage will be deleted immediately after the trial. Faces matching the watchlist will be kept for 30 days.The Met has made efforts to inform the public about its use of the technology by handing out leaflets and placing posters in the areas where it will be deployed. Officers will also engage with members of the public to explain the process.
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