The British Standards Institute (BSI) has unveiled the inaugural British Standard code of practice dedicated to the ethical application and implementation of facial recognition technology (FRT). This code, influenced by the British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA) recommendations, is a response to the growing need for ethical guidelines in the expanding use of FRT.
Titled “Facial Recognition Technology – Ethical Use and Deployment in Video Surveillance-Based Systems – Code of Practice (BS 9347:2024),” this BSI initiative aims to mitigate concerns and foster public confidence in the technology. The BSIA initiated this journey in 2020 by forming a special interest group that produced a guide on the ethical and legal aspects of facial recognition.
This standard paves the way for the lawful and principled employment of FRT, enhancing the protection and security of individuals, assets, and locations. It confronts the ethical dilemmas associated with AI technology, anchored in six fundamental principles of ‘trustworthiness’: governance and accountability, human agency and oversight, privacy and data governance, technical robustness and safety, transparency and explainability, as well as diversity, non-discrimination, and fairness. These principles are rooted in the frameworks established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Union (EU), and are in harmony with the UK’s AI regulatory guidelines.
The newly introduced standard governs the entire lifecycle of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), from the initial evaluation of its necessity to the acquisition, deployment, and sustained application of the system.
To clarify, the standard distinguishes between FRT deployment types: Identification (recognizing an individual) necessitates human oversight, whereas Verification (confirming identity) does not require human involvement.
Pauline Norstrom, CEO of Anekanta Consulting and Anekanta AI, and Chair of the BSIA’s AI & Biometrics Special Interest Group, remarked, “The release of the FRT code of practice is a significant moment in the journey towards the ethical use of this AI biometric technology in the United Kingdom. It is different to other standards for AI and biometrics, as a non-technical code of practice that operationalises the principles for trustworthy AI (ethical AI) through the entire value chain making it easy for industry to implement transparently with clear governance and accountability, and arguably with potentially lower impacts, risks and costs. Crucially, the standard contains a metaphorical ‘stop button’ to cease use if impacts cannot be mitigated. It also frames FRT as an AI technology which aligns with the definition of AI in international standards and new or pending regulation.”
Dave Wilkinson, Director of Technical Services at BSIA, stated, “The use of FRT has not come without its own challenges, whether that has been down to the accuracy of the technology, or how and where it is deployed. Many relevant questions have been asked by privacy groups, industry stakeholders and other interested parties on the appropriate and proportionate use of such technology; this code of practice aims to instil trustworthiness in the use of FRT by setting out key principles covering the whole process from assessing the need to use it, to ensuring its continued operation remains fit for purpose and justified.”
