Police Will Use Facial Recognition Tech At Notting Hill Carnival
Live facial recognition (LFR) technology will be deployed at Notting Hill Carnival, London’s Metropolitan Police has announced. Police will use LFR cameras to scan for individuals marked as being wanted on the Police National Computer and carry out “pre-emptive intelligence-led arrests and searches” of people believed to have weapons or sell drugs.
Facial recognition at Notting Hill Carnival
Facial recognition is part of the Metropolitan Police’s plan to cut crime at this year’s carnival. The cameras will be placed on the way to and from the event, The Independent reports.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, the police commander for this year’s event, said, “Regrettably, amongst the millions of carnivalists who have attended over many years, there has been a tiny minority of individuals intent on causing serious harm to others, including violent crime and sexual offences.”
The police force is also working with forces throughout the country to pursue banning orders for people with a track record of violence or sexual offending at Carnival. It said the LFR cameras on the way to the event would look for individuals marked as wanted, individuals who are shown as missing, and people with a history of certain sexual offenses.
Using tech to target Black people
Rebecca Vincent, interim director of Big Brother Watch, a British privacy campaigning organization, has called for the LFR plans be shut down, stating that the technology was “less accurate in scanning minority faces,” according to the BBC.
“It is worrying to see the Met resorting to the use of invasive live facial recognition technology at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival after scrapping it when a prior trial led to widespread outcry on the grounds of bias,” she said. “We know that LFR is less accurate in scanning minority faces, so using it to target attendees of this beloved cultural celebration is particularly sinister.”
Researchers from a London-based political group found that nearly half of the facial recognition in the city last year occurred in areas with a higher proportion of Black residents than the city’s average.
“While people recognise more overt forms of discriminatory over policing, such as stop and search practices, facial recognition technology presents a new threat. Black Londoners are disproportionately surveilled, highlighting a growing racial disparity that often goes unnoticed,” British politician Zoë Garbett said.
Image: Bernd Dittrich
