UK pushes ahead with facial recognition expansion despite civil liberties backlash

The UK Home Office has launched a consultation to create a dedicated legal framework for police use of facial recognition and other biometric technologies, aiming to scale deployments across retrospective matching, live facial recognition in public spaces, and operator-initiated mobile checks. The proposal highlights funding and arrest statistics to justify expansion, while civil liberties groups warn it risks mass surveillance and privacy harms, urging strict oversight, data retention limits, and compliance with privacy laws.