Smartwatches with biometric facial recognition and GPS tracking are set to replace electronic ankle tags on foreign criminals in the UK.
According to plans by the British Home and Justice Departments, migrants convicted of a criminal offense are to be monitored with a smartwatch. This is what the Guardian writes, citing relevant documents. The networked devices on the wrist are therefore considered a powerful alternative to electronic ankle bracelets: In addition to tracking location data via GPS, they also enable users to be checked using automated facial recognition.
Biometric recognition several times a day
According to the report, foreign criminals are said to have to scan their faces up to five times a day using the smartwatches and associated biometric recognition technology. In May, the UK government ordered technology firm Buddi to supply “non-fixed devices” to monitor “specific groups of people” as part of the Home Office’s satellite tracking service. The system is to be introduced throughout Great Britain from autumn and will initially cost a good six million pounds.
The Department of Justice has published the contract with the supplier, which has so far been known primarily for the sale of smartwatches with a home emergency call function. However, the number of devices ordered and the costs per piece are blacked out. There is also no indication in the documents whether the government had risk assessments carried out. In it, experts could have explored whether it is appropriate to spy on criminal asylum seekers with the means provided.
Apparently, however, at least the Ministry of the Interior carried out data protection impact assessments for the technology in general before choosing a specific provider. The Guardian refers to a corresponding paper from August 2021, which the data protection organization Privacy International (PI) obtained on the basis of the British Freedom of Information Act. The system should therefore enable “daily monitoring of persons who are subject to immigration controls”. The requirement is to wear an ankle bracelet or a smartwatch at all times. On the other hand, the Interior Ministry has asserted that only convicted criminals would be recorded, not asylum seekers in general.
According to the documents, information such as name, date of birth and nationality should be stored together with the facial photos for up to six years. In addition, there are planned movement profiles: The locations of the obligated persons are to be “tracked around the clock”, “so that data for monitoring paths can be recorded”.
The photos taken with the networked watches are compared with the biometric facial images in relevant databases of the Ministry of the Interior, it is said. If the automated image check fails, a manual check must be carried out. The data should be shared with the two ministries involved and the police, although the latter is not a new approach in principle. There is also talk of curfews and prohibited zones.
‘Cheap’ alternative to detention
In a June report by the Court of Auditors, the government said it “views electronic surveillance as a cost-effective alternative to imprisonment.” The measure contributes to “the goals of protecting the public and reducing recidivism”. According to the cash auditors, it was initially planned to purchase the smartwatches from the company G4S, which is also responsible for the electronic ankle bracelets. However, the Ministry of Justice complained about weaknesses in cyber security for these devices.
“The fundamental changes brought about by the introduction of GPS devices cannot be overstated,” the PI activists warned in a government submission in May. “They allow 24/7 monitoring of a person’s location, as well as live tracking.” This means that a person’s movements can be tracked in real time. The planned approach goes far beyond the mere electronic monitoring of bail violations within the legally permissible framework. The battery life of the ankle cuffs is also poor.
Privacy International has also launched a campaign to stop GPS tracking of people with a migration background. “Facial recognition is known to be an imperfect and dangerous technology that tends to discriminate against people of color and marginalized groups,” criticized PI legal expert Lucie Audibert of the expanded smartwatch project to the “Guardian”. The algorithms used are highly error-prone. No other country in Europe uses “this dehumanizing” technology against migrants, which cuts deeply into fundamental rights. The London criminal lawyer Monish Bhatia warned that those electronically monitored sometimes developed “symptoms of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts”. Your mental health could deteriorate in general.
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