UK govt planning £2M facial recognition contract to catch driver’s test cheats

The UK government is planning a tender to contract worth 2 million pounds (approximately US$2.7 million) for facial recognition software to catch people cheating on written driving tests.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) intends to issue a contract running the duration of calendar 2026.

DVSA responsibilities include driving tests, approval for driving instructors and licensing testers, truck and public transit safety tests and roadside checks of drivers and vehicles. The similarly-named Driving Vehicle License Agency issues driving licenses. Facial recognition is used to identify or match people suspected of committing fraud in their written (or theory) driving tests, “for example candidate impersonation.”

An application analyzes suspected fraud incidents to identify repeat offenders, which are then referred for human review.

The DVSA also says in a privacy notice that it gets data from and shares it with the Insurance Fraud Bureau for fraud investigations, law enforcement agencies including the National Crime Agency and Border Force for criminal investigations and the National Highways agency. Biometric data is not specified in the notice.

The rapid adoption of facial recognition in the UK by police and retailers alike is prompting calls for caution and uniform regulation.

The DVSA expects to publish the tender notice on November 1, 2025.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  driver's license  |  facial recognition  |  fraud prevention  |  government purchasing  |  tender  |  UK