Unconvicted individuals may not know that they can apply for their custody images to be deleted, and those whose image has been taken should not have less protection than those whose DNA or fingerprints have been taken, says the Science and Technology Committee of MPs in a report on Biometric strategy and forensics services.
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat MP who chairs the Science and Technology Committee, said: “In the four years since the Government promised to produce a Biometrics Strategy, the Home Office and police have developed a process for collecting, retaining, and reusing facial images that some have called unlawful. Large scale retention of the facial images of innocent people amounts to a significant infringement of people’s liberty without any national framework in place and without a public debate about the case for it. The Government must urgently set out the legal basis for its current on-request process of removing images of innocent people. It is unjustifiable to treat facial recognition data differently to DNA or finger print data.”
“It should urgently review the IT systems being developed and ensure that they will be able to deliver an automated deletion system, or else move now to introduce comprehensive manual deletion that is fit for purpose.”
Facial image recognition provides a powerful evolving technology which could significantly help policing, the MPs found. There are concerns, however, over its use, including its reliability and its potential for discriminatory bias, the report added; and it welcomed Government assurances that the technology is only being used for targeting those on ‘watch lists’.
As for forensics, the Government should revise, re-issue and consult on a new version of its two-year-old Forensics Strategy, and so address the forensics requirements of the civil courts, as well as the criminal justice system, the committee said. Norman Lamb said: “The police are prioritising low price forensics over maintaining high standards where forensics providers have a sustainable future and where tests related to court cases are not fragmented between individual forensics labs. The Government should produce a new Forensics Strategy that addresses the real concerns over testing fragmentation and provider accreditation, as was highlighted in the Randox fiasco last year.”
For the report in full visit https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmsctech/800/80002.htm.
