Big Brother State: Here to Stay?

In October 2019, we took a deep dive into the High Court judgment that challenged the use of automatic facial recognition technology (“AFR”). The judgment, handed down on 4 September 2019, found that the use of AFR by South Wales Police was lawful despite finding its use an infringement of ECHR Article 8(1). Society seems conflicted. The British Police seem to consider the judgment to be an unofficial green light for AFR contrasting to protests against it from other governmental agencies. Prior to corona, the police view was by no means unanimous across the UK population.

As the coronavirus outbreak continues, more countries are looking at technology a means to fight it. The use of AFR in the months to come may determine whether it has a role in society and whether it is here to stay for the long run.

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