Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2025

Watchdog rejects Met's claim that he supported facial recognition

Watchdog rejects Met's claim that he supported facial recognition

Biometrics commissioner says force was wrong to say he backed use of the technology
The official biometrics commissioner has rebuked the Metropolitan police after it falsely claimed that he supported its use of facial recognition CCTV in an equalities impact assessment published as the force made its first operational use of the controversial technology.

Prof Paul Wiles, a former chief scientific adviser to the Home Office, corrected the claim in a statement on his official website after the Met used the technology in Stratford, east London, on Tuesday. “I am aware that the Metropolitan police service have produced an equality impact assessment in relation to their deployment of live facial recognition (LFR),” he said.

“In that document they claim that I ‘supported the concept of LFR’. In fact I have continually said that we need proper governance of new biometric technologies such as LFR through legislation. In my view it is for parliament to decide whether LFR ought to be used by the police, and if so, for what purposes.”

Wiles, who has been the biometrics commissioner for more than four years, had previously made public his reservations about the roll-out of facial recognition CCTV, which automatically scans the faces of people to determine their identity.

After South Wales police defeated a legal challenge over its use of facial recognition last September, Wiles said it was for parliament to decide “whether there should be a specific legal framework for the police (and others) to routinely deploy new biometrics including AFR but also voice recognition, gait analysis, iris analysis, or other new biometric technologies as they emerge”.

However, he had been softer in his criticism than some other government-appointed experts. The information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, said last October that “police forces need to slow down and justify” use of live facial recognition, adding that there should be “a statutory and binding code of practice issued by government” before it is brought into use.

The surveillance camera commissioner, Tony Porter, said in a statement on the south Wales ruling that he “would urge a degree of caution on the part of the police to regard the judgment as being a green light” for generic deployment of an “intrusive tool with human rights and public confidence implications”.

The Met had updated its equalities impact assessment by Wednesday afternoon, including a link to Wiles’s statement. A spokesperson for the force said: “The MPS welcomes the biometric commissioner’s interest in developing guidance to cover use of biometric systems and information.

“We have been keeping the biometrics commissioner informed about the MPS’ deployment of LFR and look forward to any opportunities to work with him about the use of new biometrics in law enforcement. We have updated the equality impact assessment to accurately reflect his position.”

However, the gaffe exposed a number of other gaps in the consultations made by the force, which had published documents and gone ahead with operational deployment on Tuesday despite not having received responses from groups including the Met’s black and Sikh police associations and its trans network association.

The Met said its first operational use of facial recognition, outside the Stratford Centre in east London on Tuesday, was met with an “overwhelmingly positive” response from members of the public. Acting Ch Insp Chris Nixon of the force’s north-east basic command unit said: “My officers worked closely with the technology team to use the technology effectively, and would be keen to deploy it again. No positive alerts were generated by the system on this occasion and there were no false alerts or incorrect identifications.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×