Facial recognition

Abstract

This chapter examines one of the most controversial law enforcement tools of recent years: facial recognition technology. The chapter first charts the growth and development of this technology—from niche curiosity to its current role as a powerful surveillance technology driven by advanced AI processing—before considering the complex human rights and social justice implications of its deployment. It concludes by highlighting how facial recognition, like other advanced digital policing tools, is exerting a profound impact on police–citizen encounters and on the nature of suspicion itself.