A man was fined £90 for refusing to show his face to police trialing new facial recognition software. The man pulled his jumper up above his chin as he walked past Met Police officers trialing Live Facial Recognition software in east London. BBC cameras filmed as officers swooped on the man, told him to ‘wind his neck in’ then handed him the hefty penalty charge. A campaigner from Big Brother Watch – who were protesting the use of cameras on the day – was also filmed telling an officer: ‘I would have done the same.’ Police said they made three arrests thanks to the cameras on the day in question and a total of eight people, including two 14-year-old boys, were arrested during the course of the trial. Those against the move argue the cameras are a breach of privacy. In the video the man, who has not been named, explains how he was pulled over by an officer who ‘got his back up’.
He told the BBC: ‘I spoke to a man who said, there’s facial recognition down there, so – it’s a cold day – I’ve [pulled my jumper over my mouth] and gone. ‘Police officer’s asked me to come over so I’ve got my back up. ‘I basically told him to f*** off. I said I don’t want my face shown on anything. ‘If I want to cover my face, I’ll cover my face. ‘It’s not for them to tell me not to cover my face. ‘So now I’ve got a £90 fine. Well done.’ The Home Office has previously said facial recognition can be an ‘invaluable tool’ in fighting crime. But campaigners say that as there is no legislation for it in the UK, it is being used without regulation.
He is told by an officer: ‘Wind your neck in.’ A concerned witness asks another officer: ‘What’s your suspicion?’ He tells her: ‘The fact he walked past clearly marked signs for facial recognition and he has covered his face.’ She responds: ‘I would do the same. I would do the same.’ When he tells her it gives police ‘just grounds to stop him’ she says in shock: ‘No it doesn’t.’
https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/16/moment-man-fined-90-hiding-face-police-facial-recognition-cameras-9571463/?ito=cbshare
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