Tuesday briefing: How AI facial recognition in policing works – and how it can go wrong

Good morning. Over the last couple of days, the Guardian has been reporting that facial recognition technology is being rolled out across the UK at a pace that appears to be outstripping the rules designed to govern it. Police forces are increasingly using live systems to scan members of the public in real time, while retailers are deploying similar tools to identify suspected shoplifters. Advocates of the technology argue that facial recognition is effective and here to stay. Critics warn it risks creating a system where people are monitored – and sometimes wrongly flagged – without clear safeguards. For today’s newsletter, I spoke to the Guardian’s UK technology editor, Robert Booth , about how the technology works, how widely it is now being used and what happens when it goes wrong. First, this morning’s headlines. Five big stories Middle East crisis | Donald Trump has threatened that Iran will be “ blown off the face of the earth ” if it attacks US vessels trying to reopen a route through the strait of Hormuz. Delivery industry | More than 7,000 Just Eat couriers are taking legal action against the food delivery company in an attempt to gain better employment rights, including the minimum wage and holiday pay. Europe | At the European Political Community summit in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, Keir Starmer has called on Europe to “face up” to tensions with the Trump administration, as heads of government gathered to discuss the EU’s loan scheme for Ukraine. …