Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any use of live facial recognition cameras by law enforcement bodies is subject to clear safeguards to protect privacy and human rights.

When deploying facial recognition technology, police forces must comply with existing legislation including the Human Rights Act 1998, Equality Act 2010, Data Protection Act 2018, Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, as well as their own published policies. For live facial recognition, police forces must also follow the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on Live Facial Recognition. Forces must also give due regard to the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, which is supplemented by published policing policies.

On 4 December the Government launched a 10 week public consultation on law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. We are consulting on a new legal framework to create consistent, durable rules and appropriate safeguards for biometrics and facial recognition. This framework will aim to strike the right balance between public protection and privacy. The consultation will close week commencing 9 Feb 2026.