Eleven civil liberty and anti-racist groups have written to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, demanding he scrap plans to deploy live facial recognition (LFR) at the upcoming Notting Hill carnival. The letter, seen by the Guardian, argues that the technology is riven with racial bias and subject to a legal challenge, and would unfairly target the African-Caribbean community the carnival celebrates.
The signatories, including the Runnymede Trust, Liberty, and Big Brother Watch, claim LFR is less accurate for women and people of colour. They point to a high court challenge launched by Shaun Thompson, a Black British man wrongly identified by the technology, who likened its impact to 'stop and search on steroids'. The letter also cites Baroness Casey's independent review, which found the Met to be institutionally racist.
An independent report by the National Physical Laboratory found that the Met's NeoFace system shows bias against Black people when run at certain settings. The report's author, Dr Tony Mansfield, acknowledged bias at low thresholds. The Met has stated it will only use settings that demonstrate no racial bias, but campaigners note there is no legal obligation to do so.
The Met plans to deploy the cameras at entries and exits of the two-day event, attended by up to 2 million people. Officers will also use screening arches and stop-and-search powers. The force says the technology will target serious offenders and missing persons, and that 7,000 officers will be on duty each day.
