Home Office’s New Rules: Police Face ‘Photo Finish’ Before Passport Database Searches
The Home Office has advised police to exhaust their own photo databases before requesting access to its vast libraries of passport and visa images. This new guidance aims to curb the surge in requests, which jumped from two in 2020 to 417 in 2023, by emphasizing privacy and minimizing unnecessary urgent requests.
Hot Take:
So, Britain’s Home Office is basically telling the cops, “Hey Sherlock, try looking in your own backyard before raiding ours for photos.” It’s like when your mom tells you to check the fridge before ordering takeout. But hey, at least now there’s a guidebook to navigate the vast sea of face pics—because who doesn’t love a bit of light reading before a good ol’ facial recognition search?
Key Points:
– The Home Office advises police to search their own databases before raiding its passport and visa image libraries.
– Privacy groups are raising alarms and legal challenges over the increasing facial database searches.
– Police searches of the passport database have spiked from two in 2020 to a whopping 417 in 2023.
– New guidance requires law enforcement to demonstrate that a search is in the public interest and exhaust less intrusive options first.
– Image matches must be reviewed by two Home Office staff and are not considered expert opinions.