Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced on Monday that British police would massively increase the use of facial recognition technology used for surveillance purposes. Enquiries by Al Jazeera to the Home Office’s procurement agency, Blue Light Commercial, confirmed that the Israeli-based firm Corsight AI had been subcontracted by UK company Digital Barriers to provide the artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition software. Shortly after the imposition of the siege, the UK took issue with Israeli actions, condemning them at the United Nations. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch criticised the UK’s wider push to incorporate facial recognition technology into policing, calling it “sacrificing human rights on a countrywide scale”. “It’s mass violation of privacy and non-discrimination rights, and also puts at risk the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly,” said Anna Bacciarelli, Senior AI Researcher at Human Rights Watch.