South Wales police to use facial recognition apps on phones

South Wales police are to have a facial recognition app installed on their phones to identify suspects without having to take them to a police station. The force intends to test the app over the next three months with 50 officers using the technology to confirm the names of people of interest who are stopped on routine patrols. The app will allow officers to run a snapshot of a person through a database of suspects called a watchlist, and find potential matches even if the individual gives false or misleading information. The move is the latest sign that police forces in Britain are eager to embrace the controversial technology which has been criticised for infringing privacy and increasing state powers of surveillance. Liberty, the campaign group, called the announcement "chilling", adding that it was "shameful" that South Wales police had chosen to press ahead with handheld facial recognition systems even as it faced a court challenge over the technology.