Alarm over launch of facial recognition in UK shops that instantly alerts police

Jul 11, 2026

Facewatch, a facial recognition system used by over 100 UK businesses including Sainsbury's and B&M, is launching a feature to alert police in real time when serious offenders are detected. Civil liberties groups warn this is a 'dangerous escalation' towards surveillance and criminalisation in retail.

Why it matters: This marks a significant expansion of real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces, raising urgent privacy and civil liberties concerns.

Full story at: The Guardian / AI ↗