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A judicial review by Big Brother Watch challenging the lawfulness of the Met Police’s use of live facial recognition has been dismissed after the courts found that the force’s policy is in accordance with the law and that the human rights of the claimants had not been breached.
Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley said that the judgement was “significant'” and an “important victory for public safety.” Describing live facial recognition (LFR) technology as one of the biggest breakthroughs for policing, he said: “It is actively removing thousands of dangerous and wanted offenders from London’s streets, including individuals who pose a serious and ongoing threat to our communities.”
The judicial review was brought by campaign group Big Brother Watch and Shaun Thompson, a Black Londoner who, in February 2024, was mistakenly identified by live facial recognition cameras used in a deployment near London Bridge.
In the summary of the legal judgement, it states that Mr Thompson had been mistaken for his brother who was on a Met watchlist. Describing Mr Thompson’s response to the incident, the summary goes on to state: “When he declined to provide fingerprints he was threatened with arrest. He says the experience left him distressed, angry, and fearful of being wrongly identified again.”
In the last year, the Met has deployed LFR on a regular basis across crime hot spots in the capital, scanning over 3 million faces in the last 12 months with 12 false alerts recorded. There have been more than 2,100 arrests from LFR deployments since the start of 2024. LFR works by matching faces to a pre-set watchlist of people wanted for crimes and missing people.
Responding to the judgement handed down earlier this week, Sir Mark said that the Met has strong safeguards in place including “checks to ensure use is proportionate and that people’s rights – such as privacy and freedom of expression are protected in a way which does not breach human rights.”
Silkie Carlo, Director of Big Brother Watch described the outcome of the judicial review as “disappointing” adding that “the fight against live facial recognition mass surveillance is far from over.” She said that the legal challenge had already led to a change in the Met’s policy (since the incident in 2024) and that Mr Thompson had been awarded a payment after his experience.
The Commissioner said that 80% of Londoners support the use of LFR noting that “a small number of campaign groups continue to argue that police should be prevented from using a proven tool that helps us catch paedophiles, rapists, violent criminals and those wanted by the courts.” He described campaigners’ position as “increasingly out of step with both public opinion and the realities of both modern communities and policing.”
Mr Thompson, who works for Street Fathers, a charity focused on removing knives from the streets of London, said he will appeal the judgment adding: “No one should be treated like a criminal due to a computer error.”
The full judgement is available to read – Shaun Thompson and another -v- The Met Police Commissioner.
Read more about the Met’s use of LFR. Met hail new approach to live facial recognition as 100 arrested.
