UK company Facewatch, which sells live facial recognition to catch shoplifters, scored a major success in March 2023 when the UK's data regulator, the ICO, closed its investigation into the firm, effectively legalizing the practice.

Now, it has been revealed that UK officials for the Home Office, which oversees UK law enforcement, "secretly" supported Facewatch while it was being investigated, The Guardian reports:

**** ****** ********* **** ***** ** secret ***** ** ***** *** *********** privacy ********* ** ** ******* ** push *** ******* ** ******************* *********** ************** **** ****** ***** *** ************, internal ********** ******* **** ** *****************.

[...] *** ******* ** *** ********** undisclosed ******* ****** **** ***** – appointed ******** ******** ** ***** ***** last ******* – *** ***** ******, the ******* ** *********, ********* “****** crime *** *** ******** ** ********* owned ****** *********** **********”.

*****, ** **** ** ** ****** plan ****** ****** *** *******, ** is *****: “********* ** ***** * letter ** [** **** *********] *** setting *** *** ******* ** ****** crime.”

** ********, ***** ***** “******** * speech ** ***** *** ******** ** FR [****** ***********] ** *** ****”. It ******* ******* ********* **** ******* followed ******* *** **** ****** *** the ******* ********* ********* *********.

******* ****** ***** *** ******* ***** is *** "********* *******",******* ****"********** ********* ****** ****** ** ******* human ******, *** **** ** ** private ********* ***** ******** **** ******* threats ** ***** ********* ** *** UK".

*** ************ *****************'* ****** *********** **********, ****** ******** ********** *** *** *** *** **** Times.

*******, ****** ******** ***** *********** *** the *** ********* *** ********* **** significantly ********* *********, *** **** ********* also ******** ******** ** *** ****.

********?