Beyoncé's Cardiff concert's facial scan security slammed by human rights campaigners

Beyoncé's Cardiff concert gig was scanned for terrorists and pedophiles

Beyoncé's Cardiff concert’s security checks using facial recognition have been criticized by human rights campaigners.

Crowds at a Beyoncé concert in Cardiff were scanned to look for terrorists and pedophiles.

Alun Michael, the Commissioner of Crime and Police for South Wales, stated that since the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, it has been customary to search such events for possible terrorists.

The fact that "there would be very large numbers of young girls attending that concert" led him to claim that pedophiles were also targeted.

Considering this, using these cameras, according to Mr. Michael, is "entirely sensible", as per BBC.

The "watch list" that the police have created is compared with the faces captured by a live facial recognition camera. CCTV footage is captured and stored for a maximum of thirty-one days.

However human rights activists have criticized the usage of the cameras in such a way. However, Mr. Michael stated he didn't think there was a problem with the technology.

"There's been a lot of misunderstanding thinking that images are captured and kept - they're not," he said.

Adding, "The only image that is retained is of an individual who's identified as being one of the people you're looking for."

He further explained how the whole thing work.

"It's an operational decision which I am, in live time, able to review and check," giving Beyoncé concert on 17 May as a working example of the security protocol.

"The view beforehand was that a watchlist should consist of two sets of individuals," he told MPs.

"People known to be involved in extremism and terrorism in the light of the Manchester arena bombing - and secondly of pedophiles, because there would be very large numbers of young girls attending that concert."

"That was announced in advance and reported to me, it wasn't secretive," he added.

"It seemed to me entirely sensible."

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