The UK’s data protection watchdog has urged police forces using live facial recognition (LFR) technology to improve their data governance in line with best practice.
Emily Keaney, deputy commissioner for regulatory policy at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), said in an article published on August 18 that a growing number of forces are rolling out the tech despite having no prior experience of using it in public places.
Some are even trialling new approaches like operator initiated facial recognition, where officers stop suspects in the street to cross-reference them against a watchlist, she said.
“There are clear arguments that live facial recognition can assist law enforcement agencies in preventing and detecting crime,” Keaney said. “Its use also carries significant risks – a false match can have serious consequences for people, including wrongful intervention, accusation or arrest.”
Read more on LFR: Police Use of Facial Recognition Ruled Unlawful in World-First Case
To ensure LFR is used “lawfully and proportionately with strong oversight, accountability and safeguards that meet the requirements of data protection law,” the ICO has audited several forces’ use of the tech.
“We recommend that police forces across England and Wales use our audit findings to improve their data protection governance,” said Keaney. “Our audits reveal inconsistencies in data protection compliance across the five forces audited, and while there was some good practice, significant improvements are still needed.”
Where Improvements Are Needed
The ICO said compliance rates were higher for LFR than retrospective facial recognition (RFR), but several areas still require urgent attention:
- Ensuring there’s senior oversight, accountability and training for staff using facial recognition technology (FRT)
- Clear record keeping to record what personal information is being used, where it comes from, how it is used, and who it is shared with
- Ensuring RFR images are obtained from “appropriate sources” and not kept for longer than necessary
- Checking that facial recognition systems are accurate and that steps are taken to reduce the risk of unfairness or bias
The last point is particularly important in light of a Home Office report published in December 2025 which revealed racial bias in the RFR systems used by police.
The report found that, “in a limited set of circumstances the algorithm is more likely to incorrectly include some demographic groups in its search results.”
The ICO’s Keaney said at the time that the watchdog required “urgent clarity on this matter so we can assess the situation and consider our next steps.”
In its latest update yesterday, the ICO claimed that police forces are “willing to engage and make changes” based on its audit findings.
The ICO continues to argue that strong data protection governance is essential to fostering the public trust needed for FRT to flourish as a policing tool. Rights groups have periodically called for stronger legislative safeguards before widespready use of the technology by police.
LFR use by police in public spaces is largely prohibited by the EU AI Act.
