A cross-party collection of nearly 50 Members of Parliament and peers have written to Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct, condemning the use of “live facial recognition” cameras in the group’s stores, The Guardian has reported. The parliamentarians have described the technology as “invasive and discriminatory,” urging the group to end the use of those cameras across the U.K. As we previously reported, it was revealed in March that Sports Direct and Flannels (also operated by Frasers) had begun using facial recognition cameras that scanned customers’ faces and checked them against a database of suspected criminals. Shoppers can be added to the database on suspicion only, regardless of whether or not they have previous criminal record history. The parliamentarians’ letter argues that by treating “everyone who passes the camera like a potential criminal,” live facial recognition technology inverts the key democratic principle of “suspicion preceding surveillance.” Indeed, by obtaining sensitive biometric data of every customer entering the store and checking them against a privately created watchlist, the technology equates to performing an identity check on every customer, according to the parliamentarians. The letter also points to the inaccuracy and ineffectiveness of the technology and its disproportionate impact on people of color and women. The letter was coordinated and co-signed by the privacy groups Big Brother Watch, Liberty and Privacy International.

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