Reuters TV via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - A cross-party coalition of 65 British lawmakers called on Friday for a pause in use of live facial recognition surveillance on the country's streets.
British police have previously deployed live facial recognition at a number of large-scale public events, including the recent coronation of King Charles II.
In a joint statement published on Friday, lawmakers from across the political spectrum said: "We call on UK police and private companies to immediately stop using live facial recognition for public surveillance."
Signatories included veteran Conservative MP David Davis, Labour politicians Diane Abbott and John McDonnell, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey.
"There must be an urgent stop to live facial recognition, parliamentary scrutiny, and a much wider democratic debate before we introduce such privacy-altering technology to British life."
Persons:
King Charles II, Chris Philp, David Davis, Diane Abbott, John McDonnell, Ed Davey, Silkie Carlo, Martin Coulter, Alex Richardson
Organizations:
Reuters, REUTERS, Amnesty International, European Union . British, Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Big Brother Watch, Runnymede Trust, Big Brother, Thomson
Locations:
London, Britain, Runnymede