PSI July 2019

PANEL
Face - the future...
Facial recognition hit the mainstream media recently with a claim that
scanning the public is a violation of “human rights”. Is this a security
make-or-break moment for legislation going forward? The PSI Panel of
experts looks at the future for facial analytics
Facial recognition took a hit recently with a
case in Cardiff going to Court because
South Wales Police allegedly captured the
face of a member of the public without his
consent twice during an operation to spot
known lawbreakers. He described this as “a
fundamental invasion of my privacy”
"It is just like taking people's DNA or
fingerprints, without their knowledge or their
consent," said Megan Goulding, a lawyer from
the civil liberties group Liberty which is
supporting the case.
Could this case be a watershed moment for
the use of facial recognition in the UK and what
changes to legislation could result? The PSI
panel is now in session.
Gareth Williams -
Oprema
Currently surveillance systems
are installed and used in
accordance to the Data
Protection Act 2018 and the
Home Office guidelines on
CCTV. However, some recent
national press controversy regarding the use of
recorded footage concerning facial recognition
in particular, may see some developments
required within the security sector.
To date, end users can keep any recorded
information for up to 30 days as long as
adequate signage is displayed on the particular
site. The advancements in analytics and facial
recognition may see a more stringent approach
to how live and recorded data is utilised. There
are many systems that are able to ‘redact’ facial
features, so that personal information isn’t
stored. This isn’t currently an accredited feature
and a must have for recording systems however
we may see this change.
The fire and intrusion market is heavily
regulated for life safety and security purposes, with
measures such as BS5839-1:2017 (manufactured to
EN54 standard) and PD6662 (manufactured to
EN50131 standard). The regulations in other
sectors, potentially questions the level of
regulation and guidance given to security installers
and end users for the CCTV sector.
www.psimagazine.co.uk
A further area of conjecture is the amount of
DIY CCTV installations. End users can source
some products from the internet and are able to
have features such as facial recognition
however this isn’t regulated by any insurance or
government body.
The remaining months of 2019 will prove to
be interesting regarding surveillance systems in
general and how public bodies react to any
further controversy regarding the use of CCTV,
such as the recent case that saw a gentleman
take the Police to court questioning his breach
of human rights.
Nick Fischer -
Facewatch
It is unfortunate the way the
Police have recently tested
AFR in public places and
shows a lack of understanding
and judgement by all involved.
However, given their resource
limitations, we know the police are trying to do
their best in a tough rising crime landscape.
There is a compelling need to enable the Police
to explore the latest technologies as society
must be protected.
“The remaining
months of 2019 will
prove to be
interesting regarding
surveillance systems
in general and how
public bodies react to
any further
controversy regarding
the use of CCTV”
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