Western Reader
The civil liberties group Big Brother Watch is raising significant concerns about Labour leader Keir Starmer’s recent advocacy for the use of facial recognition cameras in response to recent anti-stabbing riots. The organization argues that this initiative poses a serious threat to privacy and civil liberties.
Big Brother Watch, a well-known UK civil liberties advocacy group, has been vocal about the risks associated with expanding facial recognition technology. In their recent findings, they highlighted that almost 89% of matches made by the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police were false positives. The technology has shown a tendency to incorrectly identify people of color, who are scanned at a rate four times higher than their white counterparts.
I’m angry about Starmer’s address tonight.
His alarming pledge to roll out facial recognition in apparent response to recent disorder is a pledge to plunder more vital police resources on mass surveillance that threatens rather than protects democracy. pic.twitter.com/hFDqEAYM49
— Silkie Carlo (@silkiecarlo) August 1, 2024
Under Starmer’s leadership, the Labour Party has faced criticism for endorsing the use of these technologies without a thorough parliamentary debate or appropriate regulatory frameworks. Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, stated that deploying facial recognition technology in public spaces acts as a “stress test” on public tolerance for invasive surveillance measures. Carlo emphasized that this technology disproportionately impacts minorities and could lead to heightened tensions between the public and law enforcement.
Recent incidents have highlighted these concerns, such as a situation at Oxford Circus where two young black men were incorrectly stopped and detained by police using live facial recognition technology. These individuals were later released without charges, showcasing the technology’s error-prone nature and its potential to worsen social inequalities.
How can people not see through this🤦🏼♀️
Starmer talking about facial recognition & tracking people 😳😂
People ignore that part & blame shift… ‘well what about the migrants’ 😆Cue riling everyone up again 🤺🥷
Ffs 🤦🏼♀️ITS ALL STAGED! 🎪
STOP BEING CLOWNS IN THEIR CIRCUS🤡 pic.twitter.com/tsUmbbaRhq— Muffy (@MuffyDeadinside) August 1, 2024
Furthermore, the potential misuse of facial recognition technology extends beyond law enforcement. A report from Big Brother Watch revealed that private companies and schools have also adopted facial recognition technology without sufficient oversight or consent. This includes cases where supermarkets and other retailers use the technology for customer tracking, sometimes resulting in wrongful accusations of theft or other offenses.
The civil liberties group is calling on the government to cease the use of live facial recognition until a comprehensive review and proper legal protections are put in place. They caution that unregulated surveillance abilities could lead the UK towards a trajectory similar to high-tech surveillance states like China and Russia. This appeal has gained support from over 180 tech experts and organizations, underscoring the critical need to address the civil liberties ramifications of this technology.
Big Brother Watch continues to advocate for stronger privacy safeguards and against the unchecked expansion of surveillance technologies. Their initiatives include lobbying Parliament, orchestrating public petitions, and increasing awareness through media campaigns. The group insists that any use of biometric surveillance must be subject to transparent regulation and accountability to prevent misuse and safeguard individual liberties.
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