FOI release

BSCC-FOI-0124-HD: facial recognition camera systems advice to local authorities

Updated 10 July 2024

From:

Tony Eastaugh CBE
Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

30 January 2024

To: [redacted]

Our Ref: BSCC-FOI-0124-HD

Letter by email

Dear: [redacted]

I write in response to your email received by our office on 17 January 2024 in which you asked:

Under FOIA can you please provide:

1. The number of times since 01/01/2023 the obscc has provided written advice to local authorities concerning proposed/planned live new facial recognition camera systems

2. Please supply a) the name of the authority b) the title and summary description of the purpose of the proposed system you provided advice on c) a copy of any advice sent

3. The number of times since 01/01/2023 the obscc has provided written advice to local authorities concerning retrospective facial recognition by local authorities

4. Please supply a) the name of the authority b) the title and summary description of the purpose of the proposed system you provided advice on c) a copy of any advice sent

5. The number of times since 01/01/2023 the obscc has provided written advice to local authorities concerning proposed or planned applications artificial intelligence to biometric data, not covered in previous questions

6.Please supply a) the name of the authority b) the title and summary description of the purpose of the proposed system you provided advice on c) a copy of any advice sent

Your request has been handled as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner has not provided the advice you have enquired about in your Freedom of Information request. Therefore, there is no information to share that pertains to your request.

If you are dissatisfied with this response, you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request by submitting a complaint within two months to the address below, quoting reference BSCC-FOI-0124-HD. If you ask for an internal review, it would be helpful if you could say why you are dissatisfied with the response.

Mark Greenhorn
14th Floor Lunar House Building
40 Wellesley Road, Croydon
CR9 2BY

E-mail: Sciencesupportfoi@homeoffice.gov.uk

As part of any internal review, our handling of your information request will be reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. If you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you would have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Kind regards,

Tony Eastaugh CBE Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner

Enquiries: enquiries@obscc.org.uk