Essex Police scanned 1.3 million faces in public spaces with live facial recognition. The Cambridge evaluation found that, in the force's operating setting, it identified only around half of the watchlist subjects who passed the cameras, observed demographic differences, and found no statistically significant short-term crime reduction. The ICO also says deployments were paused over identified inaccuracy and bias risks.

If a system is this intrusive, "trust us" is not enough. The burden should be proof, safeguards, transparency, and accountability.

How much biometric surveillance should the public accept when the evidence is this shaky?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJVYP-15I9s

#Privacy #Surveillance #FacialRecognition #DigitalRights #CivilLiberties #UK

RE: https://social.freedom.press/@freedomofpress/116325504767560505

Legal process matters. So do civil liberties. You can oppose illegal immigration without supporting a government database of intimate details on every U.S. resident. A centralised, AI-searchable system like this is a surveillance risk and a gift to bad actors if breached. Enforce the law, yes, but with due process, limited data access, and real privacy protections for everyone. #Privacy #DigitalRights #CivilLiberties

https://www.404media.co/how-thomson-reuters-powers-ice-and-palantir/

Thomson Reuters, a media company and data broker, has long provided personal data used in ICE tools, according to reporting. There are also indications this data may feed into Palantir systems used to identify neighborhoods for enforcement.

Reuters, once a major competitor to the Associated Press, was acquired by Thomson Corporation in 2008 to form Thomson Reuters.

#ICE #Palantir #ThomsonReuters #Reuters #DataPrivacy #Surveillance #CivilLiberties

Five #EU #governments found to ‘consistently’ dismantle rule of #law | #CivilLiberties - international | The Guardian

This is a dangerous time for #Europe.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/mar/30/five-eu-governments-consistently-dismantle-rule-of-law-finds-civil-liberties-union-for-europe

#Politics #Bulgaria #Croatia #Hungary #Italy #Slovakia #RightWingPolitics #Nationalism

Five EU governments found to ‘consistently’ dismantle the rule of law.

Governments in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia are “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law, Europe’s leading civil liberties group has warned, while democratic standards are deteriorating in six more, including historically strong democracies.

https://mediafaro.org/article/20260330-five-eu-governments-found-to-consistently-dismantle-the-rule-of-law?mf_channel=mastodon&action=forward

#Europe #EU #RuleOfLaw #Censorship #FreedomOfSpeech #CivilLiberties #Bulgaria #Croatia #Hungary #Italy #Slovakia

"Britain has stopped believing in freedom of protest "

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/identity/freedom/civil-liberties/72856/britain-stopped-believing-in-freedom-of-protest

"It’s all a far cry from the suffragettes who recruited a small army of arsonists and bombers to make their point."
'Today, the UK is rated “obstructed” for civic freedoms by the Civicus Monitor, placing it among a small group of European democracies where protest and civil liberties are seen as under pressure.'

#Quakers #UK #politics #ukpol #law #police #CivilLiberties

The Fight Against AI-Powered #Surveillance with #AdamSavage

May 13, 2026 - 5:00pm to 8:00pm PDT
#SanFrancisco , CA

When the #Pentagon formally designated #Anthropic a "supply chain risk" this March, the dispute put a spotlight on #civilliberties concerns in the AI-era. Anthropic had reportedly hit an impasse with the #Trump administration over the company’s push for guardrails banning the use of its #Claude model to conduct mass #surveillance.
#ai #supplychain

https://www.eff.org/event/fight-against-ai-powered-surveillance-adam-savage

Hong Kong Police Can Now Demand Phone Passwords Under New Security Rules

https://www.gadgetreview.com/hong-kong-police-can-now-demand-phone-passwords-under-new-security-rules

#HackerNews #HongKongPolice #PhonePasswords #SecurityRules #CivilLiberties #PrivacyConcerns