From body cams to subdermals – what’s next for wearable biometrics? By Professor Fraser Sampson, former UK Biometrics & Surveillance Camera Commissioner Innovative technology becomes de rigueur quickly – for an example of how quickly, look at media coverage of police body cam images. Introduced in the UK in 2014 for police firearms officers following the shooting of Mark Duggan, body worn cameras (BWC) are now as commonplace in law enforcement as the radio or the Taser – so commonplace in fact that suspicions are raised when their data is not available for a controversial incident. The use case for BWC has migrated rapidly to other public-facing roles like firefighters and emergency departments and is also on the increase in private security settings like retail. Reasons for the increased reliance on wearable tech in business and public services are largely pragmatic. Sounds and images can support a police investigation and prosecution, but their primary contribution is prevention. Basic security cameras aren’t preventing incidents – particularly in retail – and some of the UK’s most camera-intensive spaces have recorded the highest increases in volume crime. Knowing that you’re being individually filmed has a powerful influence on behaviour and research studies show how giving staff BWCs decreased the risk of assault, both for employees wearing them and co-workers in their vicinity, de-escalating aggression and violence. BWC can also help avoid or settle complaints about staff and researchers have found the cams give private security personnel “legitimacy by association” with police use of the same tech. Whether reported misuse by the police will have a blowback effect remains to be seen. Personalisation of the technology is also part of the employee experience. Being issued with BWC signals personal investment in employees beyond blanket coverage of ‘workplace assets’, giving staff a feeling of prioritisation