Kensington and Chelsea Council has confirmed it is using US surveillance software on two housing estates, sparking privacy concerns. The technology, Fusus, employs artificial intelligence to analyse CCTV footage and is being trialled at Trellick Tower and Markland House in North Kensington.
Councillor Sof McVeigh defended the system, stating it had already helped police arrest a resident carrying a machete. She said the software sends images to a central station accessible only by appointed officers, with no external access to the data. The trial is set to last 60 days, and the council plans to consult residents before any permanent implementation.
However, independent councillor Emma Dent Coad criticised the move, noting that the software has been used in the US to identify Black Lives Matter activists and in China to target Uyghur Muslims, and has been banned in the EU. She argued that residents are being treated as suspects and called for greater transparency about the technology's implications.
The council was forced to admit the use of Fusus after media platform OpenDemocracy reported it was the only council in the UK using the system. A consultation with residents will follow the trial period.
