Britain’s biometrics commissioners warned that law-enforcement and retail use of AI-driven facial recognition is running ahead of regulation, calling for new statutory safeguards and a dedicated regulator. The Metropolitan Police nearly doubled scans in London this year to more than 1.7 million faces, even as an ICO audit of its program was postponed at the force’s request, prompting criticism that oversight is too deferential. Polling shows broad public unease, and several shoppers reported being misidentified by retailer systems, while a whistleblower alleged malicious additions to private watchlists—claims the vendor denies. The Home Office is weighing a new legal framework as critics decry a patchwork of rules and heightened risks to privacy and civil liberties; the Met says it welcomes scrutiny and a recent court ruling backed its policy.
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