Police at a live Beyoncé concert in Cardiff used facial recognition technology to scan the audience for known paedophiles. This marked the first time that law enforcement had publicly disclosed the use of this technology to target sex offenders at events expected to draw large numbers of young children.
Alun Michael, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, noted that the standard practice of searching for potential terrorists at large gatherings had been in place since the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. However, in response to the presence of young attendees, such as at the Beyoncé concert on May 17, the focus expanded to include paedophiles.
During an appearance before MPs, Michael emphasized the “entirely sensible” use of facial recognition cameras for this purpose during the Beyoncé concert and revealed that no arrests or matches for potential suspects resulted from the operation.
The technology was also deployed at Harry Styles concerts and the Coronation event in Cardiff, where it scanned thousands of faces, sparking criticism from human rights groups over privacy and discrimination concerns.
The live facial recognition system employed AI to compare faces with a watch list, involving individuals wanted for or previously involved in criminal activities. Emphasizing that the biometric data is immediately deleted if a person is not on the watch list, the South Wales Police stated that the CCTV footage is retained for up to 31 days.
