The eyes watching you outside Highbury and Islington tube station last year

ISLINGTON Council has called for an end to the Metropolitan Police’s use of live facial recognition technology (LFR) in the borough.

At a full council meeting last Thursday, Councillor Jenny Kay proposed a motion against the use of the LFR, which was passed.

The technology was used twice by the police in Highbury last year, in April and September.

At the meeting, Cllr Kay said: “A neighbour of mine was stopped by the police [last April] by Highbury and Islington station. They were very shaken by the incident. They were particularly upset that everyone they saw being stopped was a person of colour.

“I don’t think we can underestimate the negative impact these sorts of operations have on many of our residents. They pull resources away from other parts of the borough, they frighten many and this fear stays with people.”

Councillor Jason Jackson said he was concerned about the “undeniable racial bias” that’s embedded in the technology and issues of public privacy.

He added: “LFR has no place in our borough. The reality of facial recognition technology is both alarming and appalling.

“This technology presents a profound and unacceptable threat to our community.”

Mark Johnson, advocacy manager at Big Brother Watch, a privacy campaigning organisation, said the news was “extremely welcome”.

Mr Johnson said: “This Orwellian technology is deeply intrusive and has well-documented issues with accuracy and bias.

“Both the Met commissioner and the home secretary should take note that communities in areas where this technology has been used are rejecting live facial recognition.

“The new government has an opportunity to do more to protect our rights and freedoms. They can do this right away by following the example of Islington Council and putting a stop to the use of live facial recognition across the UK.”

Islington is the third council in London to call for a stop to the use of the technology, following motions in Haringey and Newham.

Executive member for community safety, Councillor John Woolf, said: “Islington Council does not support the use of LFR technology.

“LFR technology has been widely condemned for its unreliability, and its potential to be used disproportionately against black, Asian and ethnically minoritised communities; research shows the technology has an error rate of up to 35 per cent when identifying black women.

“Following the Casey Report, the council has been working closely with the borough commander and superintendent to agree and implement an action plan to increase confidence and trust in the police. The deployment of LFR by the Metropolitan Police threatens to undermine this important work”.

A Met spokesperson said LFR was “one of many operational tactics and approaches to tackle specific, localised, intelligence-led crime and disorder problems in local areas,” adding: “This could include a spate of recent robberies, protecting those who use the night-time economy from offenders and securing the safety of people in large crowds.

“We are open and transparent in our use of live facial recognition and the Met’s website publishes the results of every deployment. We have located and identified in excess of 270 people who have been arrested, meaning our communities are safer.”