Partner Maria Theodoulou comments on facial recognition technology and policing, in The Daily Mail

Commenting in The Daily Mail, Partner Maria Theodoulou examines the Home Office consultation on police use of facial recognition and argues that clear legislation and enforceable safeguards are essential to prevent misuse.

Maria’s comments were published in The Daily Mail, 5 December 2025.

“The Home Office’s push for expanded facial recognition sits uneasily with the basic legal safeguards that are meant to govern state surveillance. This technology amounts to real-time biometric surveillance of the public, and any deployment must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality.

“Misidentification, bias and opaque algorithms create real dangers, particularly when there are limited mechanisms to challenge or scrutinise decisions. Without enforceable oversight and consequences for non-compliance, facial recognition risks becoming another unchecked surveillance tool.

“Public trust depends on ensuring that no authority operates beyond effective legal control. Unless the government introduces robust, enforceable regulation, widening police use of facial recognition will undermine confidence in both policing and the rule of law.”