2021/24768 - Use of RFR technology

REQUEST

This is a request made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘FOIA’) for the following information.

This request relates to the use of Retrospective Facial Recognition (‘RFR’) by your police force. By RFR, we mean a two-step use of facial recognition technology. The first step is the collection, not necessarily for the purpose of facial recognition, of images and/or dynamic video which include the faces of unknown subjects. The second step is the use of facial recognition technology to compare those images or video clips against any form of database, watchlist or other record, in order to identify (or assist with the identification of) those unknown subjects. When using live facial recognition, the two steps happen near-simultaneously. RFR is characterised by a time-lag between the two steps. For the avoidance of doubt, by a ‘time[1]lag’ we mean any amount of time, no matter how short, which results in the technology not being characterised as live facial recognition technology.

Please answer the following question:

1. Is your police force is currently trialling and/or using any form of RFR technology, and does it have plans to do so in the future?

If the answer to question 1 is yes, please provide the information requested below in respect of each use of RFR technology that is or will be trialled and/or used.

2. The name and purpose of that use of RFR technology.

 

3. The date on which that RFR technology was first used/trialled and:

 

1. in respect of any trial, how long the trial period lasted or will last, the criteria against which any trial is being assessed, together with any analysis of the results of such a trial;
2. any decision to permanently roll out that use of RFR technology; and
3. how many times that RFR technology has been used since the conclusion of any trial.

 

4. A description of the scope and operation of that RFR technology in use, and in particular:
5. the nature and source(s) of the images and/or video feeds of unknown subjects fed into the RFR technology, and whether there is any limit on the nature or source of those images and/or video feeds;

 

1. the nature and source(s) of the database(s)/watchlist(s)/other record(s) used by the RFR technology to identify (or assist with the identification of) the unknown subjects, and whether there is any limit on the nature or source of those database(s)/watchlist(s)/other record(s);
2. the number of images and/or the number of minutes of video feed that have been fed through the RFR technology during any trial and/or its use;

 

1. whether any biometric or personal data are retained, and if so for how long, relating to the subjects who are: (i) identified by the RFR technology as having been matched; and (ii) not identified by the RFR technology as having been matched; and

 

1. if biometric and personal data are deleted after the RFR technology has processed them, please confirm that they are deleted immediately and permanently. If this is not the case, please describe how, why, where and for how long they are retained.

 

5. Any guidance/policies/standard operating procedures relating to your police force’s use/trial of the RFR technology. Please confirm whether each document provided has been published.

 

6. Any Privacy Impact Assessment, Data Protection Impact Assessment, Equality Impact Assessment or any other impact assessment conducted in relation to this RFR technology, together with the dates on which each such assessment was conducted. If no such assessments were conducted, please confirm this.

 

7. Any documents or information detailing how your police force considers that it is complying with s149 Equality Act 2010 in relation to the trial/use of this RFR technology, in particular how your police force has investigated whether it has the potential for bias against people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010

RESPONSE