Facial recognition/dectection tracking capabilites

The request was successful.

Dear Police Scotland,

Thank you for your previous reply to my Freedom of Information Act request of April 2018, in response to this article http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16129... and your reply to my Freedom of Information request https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/u... in which you stated the below:

"By way of explanation, the CCTV system, cameras and hand held devices quoted in the press article referred by you is owned and maintained by Milnbank House Association (MHA). Police Scotland Officers are currently awaiting MHA to provide hand held mobile devices and when received will enable officers to view footage from MHA CCTV cameras directly and, therefore, reduce the time required by officers to attend MHA premises to view footage as part of an ongoing investigation. No information from police systems will be shared with MHA." - 12th June 2018
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/4...

Further to the above response, under the Freedom of Information Act Scotland please could you answer the following:

a) Please advise if Milnbank Housing Association (MHA) have provided hand held mobile devices that will enable officers to view footage from MHA CCTV cameras directly.

b) If no such devices have been received from MHA please advise when Police Scotland are expecting MHA to provide the devices?

c) Who would Police Scotland understand to be the Data Controller in this instance?

d) Does Police Scotland have any Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for a surveillance operation of this nature. I.e. viewing live CCTV footage with facial detection/recognition capabilities? If so please could you provide the PIA.

e) Does the software used in this operation have facilities to track an individual from camera to camera, either by car (ANPR) tracking, tracking by face or other distiguishing features?

f) Does Police Scotland have any plans to use facial detection/recognition/tracking with any other independent body (using that company’s CCTV footage, hardware and biometric software)? If so please advise the independent body.

g) Does Police Scotland have any plans to utilize facial detection/recognition in live trials or deployments with its own cameras?

Some parts of this request may be easier to answer than others and in such case please could you release available data as soon as possible rather than delay the entire request. If you are not fully certain of what it is I am asking then I look forward to contact from you as soon as possible to clarify what it is I am requesting in order to meet your obligations under the law. If the costs of processing this request exceed the limit in the Act, please advise on what information you are able to supply within the cost limit.

Yours faithfully,

Pippa King

Police Scotland

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FOI Glasgow, Police Scotland

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OFFICIAL
Good Afternoon,

Please find attached a formal response to your request for information.

Regards

FOI Team
Glasgow

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J Roberts left an annotation ()

This stuff relates more to England and Wales, but some people may find it interesting nonetheless.

Commissioner for the Retention and Use of Biometric Material Annual Report January 2021 – March 2022

And

Surveillance Camera Commissioner Annual Report March 2021 – March 2022

February 2023

'84. More worrying is the reported use of images of people who, while having been arrested, have never subsequently been charged or summonsed, for comparison against Live Facial Recognition ‘reads‘ and watchlists. As I record in Part 2 of this report, the use of facial recognition technology by the police has become one of the most contentious areas of biometric surveillance, not just in the UK but globally .

Part 2 – Facial Recognition and AI

96. The objective of the event was to gain a better understanding of how facial recognition technology is perceived by society in a policing and law enforcement context. Speaking at the event were the Forensic Science Regulator, a senior lecturer from Sheffield University and representatives from the Biometrics Institute, the Information Commissioner’s Office, South Wales Police, and Big Brother Watch.

Appendix F: Facial recognition and AI'

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...

The use of overt surveillance camera systems in public places by police forces in England and Wales: An assessment of compliance with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice
Updated 16 February 2023

'8. Not all respondents have completed data protection impact assessments for all the technology under discussion in this survey. This is a concern, particularly given the government’s position that much of the work currently undertaken by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner is a data protection issue, and already falls under the remit of the ICO notwithstanding any legislative proposals to abolished the Surveillance Camera Code by the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.'

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Initial analysis of the 2022 police survey returns
Published 14 November 2022

Is your force operating Facial Recognition Technology?

Only one force stated that it was using LFR (from the list supplied). Six had access to PND and two of those to CAID. One other mentioned access to Athena.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Live facial recognition technology guidance published
22/3/22

https://www.college.police.uk/article/li...

The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner's response to the College of Policing APP on Live Facial Recognition
6/4/22

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-b...

Chief Constables’ Council

Title: National Biometrics Function and National Facial Recognition Project - 30/9/21

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/8...

Who's Watching You? Report by Big Brother Watch - 7/2/22

https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-conten...

'Police forces were reluctant to answer questions about any advanced capabilities, while some refused to say if they used Chinese brands at all'

The Guardian (15/2/23):

'British police are leaving themselves open to spying by Beijing because of their reliance on Chinese-made cameras, according to a report from the government’s independent watchdog on surveillance.'

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/f...

Fact Sheet on live facial recognition used by police Home Office 2019

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov....

J Roberts left an annotation ()

Scottish Legal News - 23/2/23

Report: Facial recognition and AI should be governed by statutory codes

https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/p...

Independent review – Independent advisory group on new and emerging technologies in policing: final report

Published 22 February 2023

'Recommendations pertaining to the use of facial recognition technologies focus on improving public support and emphasise the need to devise new ethical principles and guidelines for its use including calling for: transparency (Bragias et al., 2021); interrogation of biases prior to development (Williams, 2020); a draft code of practice (Babuta and Oswald, 2020); clear ethical principles and guidance implemented in a standardised manner (Smith and Miller, 2022); further trials (National Physical Laboratory and Metropolitan Police Force, 2020)24; and a generational ban until further guidelines (plus mandatory equality impact assessments, collection and reporting of technicity data, independent audits etc.) and legal stipulations have been developed (Chowdhury, 2020).' p54

https://www.gov.scot/publications/indepe...