Face scanning faces privacy backlash

The US government is coming under growing pressure to bring in laws to penalise the misuse of face scanning surveillance systems.

Unrest is growing in Florida and throughout America after the Tampa city council blocked a proposal to remove 36 recently installed CCTV cameras aimed at combatting crime.

US Green Party activists have staged demonstrations, and groups including industry trade group the Security Industry Association have expressed concern that innocent people's lives are being wrongfully documented by the 'Big Brother' style technology, and thereby compromising their privacy.

One of the leading noises for reform surprisingly include Visionics, a company whose FaceIT face recognition software is at the centre of the debate.

Visionics originally launched FaceIT at last January's Super Bowl, matching 19 faces in the crowd from a database of known criminals.

Tim Pidgeon, director of business development at Visionics, said: "We're very used to cameras being around in the UK. In the US public opinion is very different. In the US we are asking for federal legislation to promote the use of this technology to protect innocent people."

Pidgeon also commented that a survey by Newham Council in East London and the Metropolitan police force found crime in the borough had fallen by 40 per cent since the installation of FaceIT enabled CCTV.

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