Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps are being taken to ensure there are safeguards when facial recognition is being used for children.

The UK’s data protection framework is technology-neutral, with principles such as transparency, accountability and fairness applying to all technologies using personal data. In practice, organisations must be clear with people about how and why their data is being processed, only processing it where there are legitimate grounds to do so, and ensuring that any data held is accurate and up to date.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a range of guidance, including the use of biometric recognition technologies, and the use of video surveillance, including facial recognition technology used for children. These require organisations to carry out an impact assessment when processing activities involving technologies such as LFRT are likely to result in a high risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms.