EPIC Urges UK Surveillance Commissioner to Foreground Privacy, Ban Facial Recognition in Updates to Surveillance Camera Code

EPIC has submitted comments to the Biometrics and Surveillance Commissioner of the United Kingdom on proposed updates to the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice. The proposed updates focus on aligning the Code with developments in surveillance law and recent court decisions. EPIC recommended ways to more directly address risks to privacy and international human rights, including banning facial recognition technology, emotion recognition, and biometric categorization systems; setting clear assessment and consultation requirements for databases used for matching; and strengthening protections against improper use of facial and biometric recognition systems. EPIC has long fought to protect the public against surveillance, including by campaigning to ban facial recognition technology and filing suit against agencies misusing surveillance technology. EPIC recently brought suit against the Postal Service over its unlawful use of facial recognition and social media monitoring tools.