The Metropolitan Police Service of London has started using real-time facial recognition technology (LFR - Live Facial Recognition). A corresponding notification was published on the agency's webpage. The police are confident that this will help combat serious crimes, including violence, the use of firearms and bladed weapons, and more.
Special cameras have been installed in key areas of the city that scan the faces of passersby, alerting police officers when an individual is identified by the system as a wanted criminal. Police assure that images captured by the cameras, which are not related to any criminal activity, are not stored or processed by any other platforms. Decisions regarding the storage of images will be made by appropriate officials within the police service.
Although law enforcement is confident in the usefulness of the LFR system, many are skeptical about it, calling it ineffective and, in some cases, illegal. For example, researchers from the University of Essex found that the error rate in the operation of the LFR system could reach 81%. Last year, the technology began to be used by the South Wales police. During its usage, approximately 2,300 innocent individuals were detained by operatives as potential criminals.
It is worth noting that London police began implementing the LFR system at a less than ideal time. A few days ago, it became known that European lawmakers the use of facial recognition technologies in public places across the European Union for a period of up to five years. The relevant proposal will be considered next month.
Source: 3dnews.ru
