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Trial of live facial recognition in London stations ends with a false positive and no arrests

the GuardianEnglish

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Freedom of information request finds six-month trial cost £320,000, used almost 100 police hours and led to just one – incorrect – alert

Summary from the Guardian

Section: Technology
By: Daniel Boffey
Published: Sep 29, 2026, 9:48 AM UTC
Updated: Sep 29, 2026, 7:19 PM UTC

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More than 500,000 faces were scanned by the live facial recognition systems set up in London's railway stations by the British Transport Police. At a cost of £320,786 (about $423,000)…

Boing BoingLondon's live facial recognition trial ends in one false positive, no arrests, and a £320k bill

More than half a million faces were processed during a British Transport Police live facial recognition trial that generated one incorrect alert.

Digital Watch ObservatoryUK live facial recognition trial scans over 500,000 faces and produces one false match

The trial cost more than £320,000 and took up almost 100 hours of police officers’ time between February and July this year

London Evening StandardUnited KingdomFacial recognition trial in London stations leads to zero arrests

Topics in this story

#trial #facial #recognition #london #stations

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London

Capital of England and the United Kingdom

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.14 million people in 2025. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.4 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries.

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5 other outlets reported this story in the last 3 days.

London's live facial recognition trial ends in one false positive, no arrests, and a £320k billBoing Boing9 hr. ago
UK live facial recognition trial scans over 500,000 faces and produces one false matchDigital Watch Observatory14 hr. ago
Facial recognition trial in London stations leads to zero arrestsLondon Evening StandardUnited Kingdom6 hr. ago
British Transport Police use of Live Facial Recognition TechnologyBritish Transport PoliceUnited Kingdom25 hr. ago
London facial recognition trial scans 500,000 faces, produces one false positive and no arrestsnews.lavx.huHungary13 hr. ago

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the Guardian

Country: United Kingdom
Language: English

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Trial of live facial recognition in London stations ends with a false positive and no arrests

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