The British government is set to suspend trials of facial recognition systems until it can allay regulatory concerns about the technology, according to a report published on Friday.
The report , commissioned by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, warned that the government does not yet have a well-designed strategy or appropriate legal framework for automatic facial recognition systems.
In June 2018, the British government published a biometrics strategy. However, the committee that reviewed it found that it did not include all the guidelines on the ethics and control of biometrics.
While there is a legal framework for the management of fingerprints and DNA under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, it does not cover facial or voice recognition, the report added. There is no legislation covering the use and oversight of the new biometrics.
The UK Forensic Science Regulator is responsible for ensuring appropriate standards in forensic science (which would include facial recognition systems) in the UK. It does not have statutory powers, meaning it can make recommendations but not punish government bodies. The Commission has been seeking these powers since 2011.
The regulator is also responsible for ensuring effective cooperation with Scotland and Northern Ireland on quality standards across the UK. When it comes to biometrics, such as facial recognition, the UK has lagged behind Scotland, which has already proposed legislation on its use.
This is the first recommendation the committee has made to suspend testing of automatic facial recognition systems.
The committee is not the only body to express concern about trials . In early July 2019, researchers from the Human Rights, Data and Technology Programme at the University of Essexpublished a report calling for a suspension of the use of facial recognition by police. The systems used in the six trials made 42 identifications, but only 8 of them could be verified with absolute certainty.
The legal basis for the tests was unclear and did not take human rights into account according to the researchers, adding that it was "highly likely" that the tests would even be considered illegal if challenged in court.
The UK Science and Technology Committee has received a report saying that the Oakland Board of Public Works in the US has voted unanimously to ban the use of facial recognition by city departments, including the police. It is the third city in the US to ban technology after San Francisco and Somerville in Massachusetts.
