In Face of Privacy: Police Use of Live Facial Recognition Technology and Human Rights

Live Facial Recognition (LFR) is based on mapping the faces
of individuals in crowds by using real-time video imagery
and extracting their biometric facial features to produce a
unique digital signature of identified faces. This data is
then matched against facial biometric data from images
included in a 'watchlist'. Law enforcement agencies use of
LFR raises a wide range of ethical and legal questions
relating to potential interference with democratic civil
liberties, considering the delicate balance between the
protection of private rights and the public interest. Deep
concerns are raised of unlawful interference with the Right
to Privacy, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Assembly
and Association, Prohibition of Discrimination and Data
Protection Rights.
The objective of the proposed research is answering the
questions: what are the moral standards that apply to the
law enforcement agencies deployment of LFR? Are current
legal principles guarded by Human Rights Law and its
subsequent legislation suitable and sufficient to confront all
ethical considerations arising from the deployment of LFR?
What are the necessary regulatory safeguards to be
implemented in order to harness the benefits of current and
potential use of LFR by law enforcement agencies, while
protecting human rights and civil liberties?