WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Recognising the ‘Law of Unintended Consequences’; Blog posted by Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner, 31/10/19 |
Live facial recognition technology – police forces need to slow down and justify its use. As far back as Sir Robert Peel, the powers of the police have always been seen as dependent on public support of their actions. It’s an ideal starting point as we consider uses of technology like live facial recognition (LFR). How far should we, as a society, consent to police forces reducing our privacy in order to keep us safe? That was the starting point to my office’s investigation into the trials of LFR by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and South Wales Police (SWP). LFR is a step change in policing techniques; never before have we seen technologies with the potential for such widespread invasiveness. The results of that investigation raise serious concerns about the use of a technology that relies on huge amounts of sensitive personal information. We found that the current combination of laws, codes and practices relating to LFR will not drive the ethical and legal approach that’s needed to truly manage the risk that this technology presents. The absence of a statutory code that speaks to the specific challenges posed by LFR will increase the likelihood of legal failures and undermine public confidence in its use. As a result, the key recommendation arising from the ICO’s investigation is to call for government to introduce a statutory and binding code of practice on the deployment of LFR. This is necessary in order to give the police and the public enough knowledge as to when & how the police can use LFR systems in public spaces. We will therefore be liaising with Home Office, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, the Biometrics Commissioner, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner and policing bodies on how to progress our recommendation for a statutory code of practice. Taken together, the recommendations from our investigation have such far reaching applications for law enforcement in the UK that I have taken the step of issuing the first Commissioner’s Opinion under our data protection laws. My office’s investigation has concluded, but our work in this area is far from over. Public support for the police using facial recognition to catch criminals is high, but less so when it comes to the private sector operating the technology in a quasi-law enforcement capacity. We are separately investigating this use of LFR in the private sector, including where LFR in used in partnership with law enforcement. We will be reporting on those findings in due course. |
Researched Links: |
ICO: Blog: Live facial recognition technology – police forces need to slow down and justify its use ICO investigation into how the police use facial recognition technology in public places Being out-of-reach doesn’t make them secure Could this be an answer to rising knife crime? Blog: How coming to work at the ICO on a secondment can benefit both of us Statement: Live facial recognition technology in Kings Cross BCS explains why abuses of facial biometric data means we need to get serious about safeguards ICO announces first 10 projects for data protection sandbox Facial biometric expert wins US border security contract |
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Frequent use can make them ‘ineffective’ |
The Keep Antibiotics Working campaign returns, urging people to always take their doctor's, pharmacist's or nurse’s advice on antibiotics. Public Health England (PHE)’s latest English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR) report shows that there were an estimated 61,000 antibiotic resistant infections in England during 2018 - a 9% rise from 2017. The Keep Antibiotics Working campaign is back to alert the public to the risks of antibiotic resistance, urging people to always take their doctor, pharmacist or nurse’s advice on antibiotics. Antibiotics are essential to treat serious bacterial infections such as pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis. They also help to ward off infections during chemotherapy, caesarean sections and other surgeries. However, while antibiotics are vital to treating life-threatening infections, they are frequently being used to treat less serious illnesses such as coughs, earache and sore throats that can get better by themselves. There has been a 17% drop in antibiotic prescriptions written & dispensed in general practice since 2014. There is no evidence that reduced antibiotic use in primary case has led to more people being admitted to hospital with serious infections. |
Researched Links: |
DHSC: 165 new antibiotic resistant infections every day in England Use only when absolutely necessary Delay of just a couple of hours can be life-threatening Saving antibiotics – supporting decisions Challenge Prize cash supporting GP surgery to fight antibiotic resistance Defra: Sales of veterinary antibiotics halved over the past four years |
SME Supplier Locator update... | ||
UK Government and public sector spend with SME’s is continually on the increase and by 2020, it is the stated intent of Cabinet Office that £1 of every £3 spent on government contracts goes to SME’s. Against this ambitious backdrop, the WiredGov Supplier Locator service has been developed specifically to embrace the SME Agenda and provide the ideal platform for SME’s to promote their services, solutions, accreditation and success stories directly to our ever increasing audience across all government and public sector verticals and Tier 1 suppliers.
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Bulls are not the only danger to look out for when walking in the countryside |
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) has been detected for the first time in ticks in 2 parts of England the UK. The findings are part of ongoing research by Public Health England (PHE) and the Emerging & Zoonotic Infections National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit at the University of Liverpool. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an infection spread by tick bites and is endemic in mainland Europe & Scandinavia, as well as Asia. Most people who catch TBE will not have any symptoms - though it can cause flu-like symptoms, and in a small number of cases can progress to more serious disease involving the central nervous system. The virus has been detected in a small number of ticks in Thetford Forest and an area on the border between Hampshire and Dorset. Further work is under way to identify the distribution of TBEV infected tick populations. Ticks carry a number of infections including Lyme disease, so we are reminding people to be ‘tick aware’ and take tick precautions, particularly when visiting or working in areas with long grass such as woodlands, moorlands and parks. Contact your GP or dial 111 if you begin to feel unwell with flu-like symptoms following a tick bite. Lyme disease remains the most common tick borne infection in the UK, and the risk of acquiring Lyme substantially outweighs that of acquiring TBEV. Ticks are found throughout the year - but are most active between spring and autumn. |
Researched Links: |
DHSC: Tick-borne encephalitis virus detected in ticks in the UK A potential less than healthy outcome from a country walk Lyme Disease UK - Lyme Disease Patient Support and Advice Diagnose and treat Lyme disease if bull’s eye rash is present, says NICE Climate Change and Vector-Borne Disease in Humans in the UK Committee publish new report on Planetary Health Lumpy skin disease in cattle: from containment to elimination New advice will help doctors spot and treat Lyme disease early, says NICE |
Editor’s choice of other Health, Social care & Homelessness related items of note: |
DHSC: Government invests in global partnership to treat gonorrhoea NHS England: Public back NHS plans for new rapid care measures CQS: Independent cosmetic surgery services – emerging concerns BEIS: Care robots could revolutionise UK care system and provide staff extra support ESFA: Metaphor 'menu' for cancer patients launched by researchers |
As winter sets in |
The LGA & the NALC have joined forces to provide a guide for commissioners, service providers, councillors & leaders across local government to help them to tackle loneliness, as well as support those affected by it. As part of its Loneliness Strategy, the Government called on the Local Government Association and National Association of Local Councils to explore best practice in combating loneliness. This follows the success of the One Community guide published May 2018, which set out a detailed framework for collaboration between principal and local tiers of local government to tackle the burning issues facing our communities. The new Reaching Out guide, designed to help local government tackle one of the nation’s biggest public health challenges, was published at NALC’s annual conference in Milton Keynes last week. It outlines how councils & local organisations can work together to reach out & improve individuals’ wellbeing as well as relieving some of the pressure on already overburdened council & health services. Loneliness can often be associated with older people who live on their own, but loneliness affects millions of people across the country, including children and young people, and has far reaching implications, not just for the individual, but for families, the wider community and local services. It can have an impact irrespective of age & circumstance, which places additional pressure on already stretched services by increasing referrals to adult social care and visits to GP surgeries – the significance of this being likened to issues such as obesity and smoking. |
Researched Links: |
LGA and NALC join forces to tackle loneliness Primary Health care is not just dishing out pills Make a point of talking to neighbours Bright but in a strange / new environment |
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