R (Bridges) v CCSWP and SSHD [2019] EWHC 2341

On 4 September 2019, the High Court in England and Wales rejected a judicial review claim brought by Edward Bridges, a civil liberties campaigner (the "Claimant") regarding the use of automated facial-recognition technology ("AFR") by the Chief Constable of South Wales Police’s ("SWP").  The High Court dismissed claims that the use of AFR by SWP breached UK data protection laws and was contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights.  The High Court determined that the use of AFR constituted the processing of biometric data but that the SWP had established lawful grounds and had met the other legal requirements to process it.  

The decision sheds light on the types of processing activities that will constitute the processing of biometric data as well as the legal bases and other requirements that must be satisfied by businesses and other types of organisations in order to use AFR under the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and the European General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR").  
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