NEC insists its face-recog training dataset isn't biased, but refuses to share details of Neoface system with UK court

NEC insists its face-recog training dataset isn't biased, but refuses to share details of Neoface system with UK court

Facial-recognition technology used by British police forces does not rely on trawling the internet for random face photos to use as training data, an NEC manager told the courts.


The statement was referred to in the Court of Appeal last week by South Wales Police's barrister Jason Beer QC and obtained by The Register yesterday.


"Our biometric templates are unique to NEC and are not portable between vendors," said Paul Roberts, head of global facial recognition at NEC Global subsidiary Northgate Public Services.


NEC also refused to tell even the British courts where it obtained its facial-recognition training dataset or to give details about its makeup.


Roberts' witness statement was deployed by South Wales Police (SWP) as part of its defence against a legal challenge brought by human rights pressure group Liberty, as insists recog training dataset biased refuses share details neoface system court