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EHRC challenges Met on facial recognition at Notting Hill carnival
The Equality and Human Rights Commission says the Met’s live facial recognition plan conflicts with European law, prompting a legal challenge.
Equality regulator EHRC argues live facial recognition at Notting Hill carnival clashes with European law.
Met police facial recognition plan faces legal challenge
The Equality and Human Rights Commission says expanding the Metropolitan Police use of live facial recognition is unlawful because it conflicts with European human rights law. As the Met prepares to deploy real-time face-matching cameras at Notting Hill carnival this weekend, the EHRC has been granted permission to intervene in a judicial review brought by Shaun Thompson, who was wrongly identified by LFR and faced fingerprint demands.
Data reviewed by the EHRC suggests a higher number of alerts among black men than would be expected from the city’s population, prompting concerns about racial bias. A letter from 11 anti-racist and civil liberty groups, reported in the Guardian, urged the Met to scrap the technology amid fears of bias and a looming legal challenge. The Met says LFR helps target the small minority responsible for serious crimes, and it argues the Equality Act 2010 imposes duties to eliminate discrimination. The EHRC counters that there are gaps in domestic law and that the current policy risks violating privacy, freedom of expression and assembly rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Met has announced mounted cameras at carnival entry and exit points for the two days of the event.
Key Takeaways
"There must be clear rules which guarantee that live facial recognition technology is used only where necessary, proportionate and constrained by appropriate safeguards."
John Kirkpatrick, EHRC chief executive, on safeguards.
"Live facial recognition surveillance turns our faces into barcodes and makes us a nation of suspects who, as we’ve seen in Shaun’s case, can be falsely accused, grossly mistreated and forced to prove our innocence to authorities."
Rebecca Vincent, interim director of Big Brother Watch.
"The claim raises issues of significant public importance."
EHRC description of Shaun Thompson’s judicial review.
The case sits at the intersection of safety and civil liberties. Proponents argue policing at mass events requires modern tools to deter crime, while critics warn that without tight safeguards, facial recognition can chill public life and punish innocent people. The absence of a specific domestic statute governing LFR creates a regulatory vacuum, leaving decisions to general powers and piecemeal oversight. If the court sides with the EHRC, expect a sharp push for new rules that limit when and where real-time recognition can be used. A ruling could reshape how police deploy technology at public gatherings across the country.
Highlights
- Faces turned into barcodes invite a privacy crisis
- Rights must guide tech, not the other way around
- This is a test of our government’s restraint
- Policy must protect safety without policing people
Legal and political risk from LFR deployment
Deploying live facial recognition at a major public event could trigger legal challenges, civil rights concerns, and political backlash. The outcome hinges on pending judicial review and potential future domestic regulation.
The verdict will test how far policing powers can evolve without sacrificing rights.
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