Report Summary
The Chair of the Scottish Police Authority launched a national conversation on the potential use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) in Scotland in June 2024. This paper aims to provide a summary of the available information on the use of LFR in a policing context.
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Introduction
At the first Scottish Biometrics Conference in June 2024, the Chair of the Scottish Police Authority launched a national conversation on the potential use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) in a Scottish context.
This tripartite conversation, being led by a Short Life Working Group (SLWG) including Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, aims to understand the public and key stakeholders’ views on the possible adoption of LFR in Scotland in certain circumstances. These views are sought prior to any decision being made on whether Police Scotland expend resources on exploring LFR in detail.
Alongside this paper, there will be exploratory conversations and surveys with key stakeholders and representative organisations. It is hoped that the partners can produce videos to support discussion on LFR. The purpose of these activities is to gain initial insights from the wider public as to their views on the use of LFR by Police Scotland. The evidence gathered from the national conversation will be used to inform a position how Police Scotland may or may not proceed in exploring the use of LFR.
This paper aims to provide a summary of the available information on the use of LFR in a policing context. It sets out what LFR is and how it has been applied by policing in England and Wales, potential use cases on where it may be useful in Scotland, the legislative context in which LFR would operate in and the human rights and ethical considerations.
