UK ICO finds police facial recognition use mostly compliant with data regulations The UK Information Commissioner’s Office says police are using facial recognition in ways that meet their regulatory compliance obligations, for the most part. Their compliance rate is higher with live facial recognition than with retrospective or forensic applications, however, according to the ICO’s findings from audits of five forces in England and Wales. A blog post by Deputy Commissioner for Regulatory Policy Emily Keaney makes the case for strong data protection governance as a pillar of public trust in facial recognition, and therefore suggests police using the technology draw on the audit findings to improve theirs. The ICO makes 107 recommendations overall related to compliance and best practices. The forces accepted all of the recommendations, at least in part, and the regulator gives the police good marks for participating in and cooperating with the audits. Keaney also writes that Home Office and the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) told the ICO they are dealing with the demographic differentials found by the National Physics Lab in the legacy Cognitec algorithm released in 2020 with additional staff training, oversight reporting, equality impact assessments and plans to replace the algorithm, presumably to a newer release. In the meantime, Home Office held consultations on the introduction of a legal framework for police use of facial recognition. The ICO participated, calling for greater specificity in guidance for law enforcement. The data protection authority is also contributing guidance for businesses, government bodies and the public to help nurture trust in police use of face biometrics. Scotland and Northern Ireland are also advancing toward more use of facial recognition by police, and the ICO says its recommendations hold for those countries as well. Greater Manchester Police need PND policy Overall, the ICO sees some forces