London Police set to test face recognition technology on citizens

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This is the third consecutive year that the British Government performs tests with this kind of technology

The London Metropolitan Police Service will perform some tests for the implementation of facial recognition technology in several locations in the city centre, report specialists in digital forensics from the International Institute of Cyber Security.

The British government will be conducting these tests for the seventh time since the year 2016; moreover, the Metropolitan Police have revealed that they are already planning three more tests, although the date on which those will be carried out is still unknown.

According to the police agency, the tests, which will apply openly and informing the citizens, only take place in the areas of Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.

According to experts in digital forensics, the Metropolitan Police have emphasized that no person will be forced to undergo these tests, also, the police alleges that no citizen who refuses to be analyzed will be considered a suspect of any crime or will face administrative sanctions.

Law enforcement agencies in countries like Wales have also conducted some testing of these technologies. On the other side of the world, countries like the United States have also conducted some facial recognition tests, although they’ve accumulated several failures, especially when working with law enforcement agencies. Even so, the massive application of this kind of technology in the U.S. is moving slowly, but consistently.

According to experts in digital forensics, Big Brother Watch, a civil association for the privacy of people based in London, has stated against the implementation of this kind of technology in the United Kingdom.

“In the next few days, the London Police will test facial recognition in real time, scanning all who are exposed. We are fighting this for all people who do not want to develop in an environment of extreme vigilance,” the NGO said through its Twitter profile.