Summary

The Metropolitan Police has deployed live facial recognition across London since 2016, scanning millions of faces a year. The force's own 2025 report found that 80% of people wrongly flagged were Black. After the system misidentified anti-knife-crime campaigner Shaun Thompson, he and Big Brother Watch brought a High Court challenge in January 2026, arguing the deployment lacks a legal basis and breaches privacy, expression and assembly rights.

Sources

1. High Court to Hear Landmark Legal Challenge Against Police Live Facial RecognitionBig Brother Watch · Originating report
2. The Telegraph – High Court hears the challenge to police use of live facial recognitionBig Brother Watch
3. High Court told police live facial recognition needs limits - BBC NewsBBC News
4. GB News – Live facial recognition plans could turn London into “open prison”Big Brother Watch
5. BBC – The Met Police’s use of live facial recognition branded “chilling” by campaignersBig Brother Watch
6. No arrests from false facial recognition alerts, Met Police says - BBC NewsBBC News
7. Big Brother Watch responds to the Metropolitan Police’s 2025 live facial recognition reportBig Brother Watch

Tags

• facial recognition misid
• mass surveillance
• ongoing litigation
• biometric surveillance
• chilling effect
• policing
• human rights
• no legal basis

Record

First collected

2026-04-14

Last verified

2026-10-10

Verified by

Checked by the author against the sources