Eleven civil liberty and anti-racist groups have urged the Met commissioner to cancel plans for live facial recognition deployment at Notting Hill carnival, citing racial bias and ongoing legal challenges. Concerns are raised about the technology’s lack of accuracy for women and people of color. The letter warns that deploying this surveillance method at a celebration of the African-Caribbean community would increase fears of state power abuses and racial discrimination. Trust in the police is already low due to past discriminatory practices, and a legal challenge has been initiated against the Met's actions.
The choice to deploy LFR at Notting Hill carnival unfairly targets the community that carnival exists to celebrate. The Met has been found to be institutionally racist, and trust in the Met has been badly damaged by discriminatory policing.
The use of instant face-matching cameras at an event celebrating the African-Caribbean community will exacerbate concerns about abuses of state power and racial discrimination within the Met.
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