This week it was announced that there would be an expansion of the London police force’s use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology. Following a decade of use of the face-matching software with mobile camera vans, and then a pilot deployment with fixed cameras in Croydon, new fixed-camera operations will start in London’s West End and Soho. The Met were early adopters of this technology in 2016, largely writing their own rules for deployment. In April 2026, the UK’s High Court ruled that the current Metropolitan Police use of LFR is lawful and proportionate. This latest development is then a further erosion of the liberties of the general public, but is unlikely to actually prevent any crime. LFR scans passing faces but only captures a person’s image if their face is matched to one on the watchlist. Then a human police officer intervenes to offer the matchee a chance to prove they are NOT the wanted individual. Your own face could put you in the position of showing your passport to the police to identify yourself. Most people will be unaware that their faces have even been scanned. Past surveys of UK public opinion have found divided views: few are completely opposed to LFR, and a large majority support its use at riots and football matches; even at peaceful protests, support outweighs opposition. The government’s own research found a majority in favor of its use even for fraud and antisocial behavior. A slight majority say deployment in their local High Street would make them feel safer, and are willing to accept a loss of privacy to catch more criminals. On the other hand, around a third said they’d be unlikely to attend a protest or a picket line if LFR were in use. Given that it has already been used