"Across the world facial recognition technologies (FRT) are increasingly being deployed in public and private spaces without adequate laws or regulation to protect individuals from the grave risks they pose to human rights. States rely more and more on this technology for public mass surveillance, enabling an authoritarian omnipresence over people's activities, movements, and expressions at all times, often without them knowing."
"We have also been monitoring how other states and jurisdictions around the world are taking steps to regulate biometric technologies to address harms and mitigate risks. The UK is now an outlier. Its European neighbours have introduced the European Union (EU) Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) which places restrictions on the use of biometric technologies including FRT across Europe. Although not without its flaws, it stands as the most concrete example of FRT regulation."
Facial recognition technologies (FRT) are increasingly deployed across public and private spaces without adequate legal protections, creating serious human rights risks. States and private actors use FRT for mass surveillance, enabling persistent monitoring of activities, movements, and expressions, often without consent or awareness. In the UK, law enforcement and private sector use of FRT has expanded with government encouragement and no specific FRT law, creating a democratic vacuum. A campaign called 'End of Privacy in Public' urged public and parliamentary awareness and legal safeguards. Other jurisdictions are introducing regulation, including the EU AI Act and US state measures, offering models for urgent UK regulation.
Read at Privacy International
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