Canadian police department becomes first to trial body cameras equipped with facial recognition technology

Edmonton Police Service launched a pilot of Axon body-worn cameras with facial recognition, comparing captured images to existing mugshots to flag individuals with safety cautions or warrants, with matches to be human-verified. The system is reportedly enabled only during investigations or enforcement, non-matches are deleted, and a privacy impact assessment is required under Canadian law amid accuracy and discrimination concerns. The report also references the FTC’s action against Rite Aid over inaccurate facial recognition usage.