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To: James Cleverly, Home Secretary and Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police

Stop the Met Police using facial recognition surveillance

Urgently stop the Metropolitan Police using live facial recognition surveillance.

Why is this important?

The Metropolitan Police has started using live facial recognition cameras across London. This surveillance technology turns us into walking ID cards and treats members of the public like suspects in a high-tech police line up. These cameras are a threat to our privacy and freedoms – and they need to be stopped.

The Met’s own stats show live facial recognition to be over 80% inaccurate and more likely to misidentify innocent people of colour as potential suspects. A court even found that police had been using this technology unlawfully.

This Orwellian technology is used to oppress people in China and Russia. The Met would be the largest police force in the democratic world to roll out this dangerously authoritarian surveillance. This is an enormous expansion of the surveillance state and a serious threat to civil liberties in the UK.

The Home Secretary and Met Commissioner must stop using live facial recognition now.

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Updates

2020-02-11 22:17:57 +0000

20,000 signatures reached

2020-02-11 18:54:35 +0000

10,000 signatures reached

2020-02-11 18:11:09 +0000

5,000 signatures reached

2020-01-28 08:10:59 +0000

1,000 signatures reached

2020-01-24 21:23:24 +0000

500 signatures reached

2020-01-24 14:56:15 +0000

100 signatures reached

2020-01-24 14:39:56 +0000

50 signatures reached

2020-01-24 14:31:30 +0000

25 signatures reached

2020-01-24 14:28:57 +0000

10 signatures reached