Comment by Silkie Carlo

I agree very strongly with those points. There is also a case for a central register or inventory of all public sector algorithms so that we can at least surface where they are being used. If they had equality impact assessments as well, that would be fantastic. I strongly feel that the committee should recommend that the use of live facial recognition overtly in public spaces is prohibited. The European Parliament has just called for that. In the US, a number of facial recognition algorithms were paused for law enforcement use. This is now becoming an international standard. We have set a very bad example over the past few years, and we are grappling with major trust issues with policing. [...] That is why an urgent legislative prohibition on the use of facial recognition, as we see being called for in Europe, is essential. Then, if people think there is a future for the technology, they can make the case, but right now all we see are very serious problems and risks.