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The
use of the technology in Britain has long been criticized by
civil liberties groups such as Amnesty International, and faces
a blanket ban in the European Union.
British police have previously deployed live facial recognition
at a number of large-scale public events, including the recent
coronation of King Charles II.
The move comes after policing minister Chris Philp, speaking at
the ruling Conservative party's annual conference this week,
suggested a new database of British passports could be used to
catch criminals through biometric surveillance, drawing
criticism from some.
In a joint statement published on Friday, lawmakers from across
the political spectrum said: "We call on UK police and private
companies to immediately stop using live facial recognition for
public surveillance."
Signatories included veteran Conservative MP David Davis, Labour
politicians Diane Abbott and John McDonnell, and Liberal
Democrat leader Ed Davey.
A number of non-profits and charities backed the campaign,
including Big Brother Watch, the Runnymede Trust and Foxglove.
"This dangerously authoritarian technology has the potential to
turn populations into walking ID cards in a constant police
line-up," said Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch.
"There must be an urgent stop to live facial recognition,
parliamentary scrutiny, and a much wider democratic debate
before we introduce such privacy-altering technology to British
life."
(Reporting by Martin Coulter; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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