UK watchdog criticizes Home Office for hiding evidence of racial bias in police facial recognition, showing higher error rates for Black people.

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office has rebuked the Home Office for withholding evidence of significant racial biases in police facial recognition technology, including a 87% identification success rate for Black individuals versus 98% for Asian subjects. Updated tests revealed higher false positive rates for Black individuals, especially Black females, under stricter accuracy settings. While the Home Office confirmed it has procured a new, unbiased algorithm to be tested next year, critics demand a pause in expanding the technology due to civil liberties concerns and disproportionate risks to minority groups.