Facewatch gains responsible AI certification for retail facial recognition platform

 Facewatch has secured certification to the new ISO/IEC 42001:2023 standard, which strengthens its claim to be a responsibly governed provider of live facial recognition (LFR) technology for UK retailers.

The company, which runs the UK’s largest retail LFR network, says the accreditation shows its AI systems are managed through risk processes and human oversight.

Facewatch CEO Nick Fisher comments: “ISO/IEC 42001 gives retailers, regulators and the public independent evidence that Facewatch is not simply deploying AI-powered technology, but managing it through a formal, independently audited governance framework.”

ISO/IEC 42001 is the first global management system standard for AI, covering governance across the technology’s lifecycle. Facewatch’s certification spans its biometric alerting service, Subject of Interest database and wider organizational use of AI tools.

The audit, carried out by Tempo Audits, reported no nonconformities and described the company’s AI governance as “mature” and “thoughtfully designed” with regards to its Artificial Intelligence Management System.

Ashish Verma, head of IT at Facewatch, says the process required evidence of governance from risk assessment through to monitoring and human oversight.

The new standard adds to Facewatch’s existing assurance framework, which includes ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials and IoT security certifications. Fisher says the certification reflects a long‑term commitment to proportionate, evidence‑led use of LFR as retailers continue to face pressure from crime and violence. The certification from Tempo Audits, for Facewatch, can be seen here.

Facewatch appointed data and cyber law specialist Dean Armstrong KC as its new Data Protection Officer (DPO), in March, and was granted Secured by Design accreditation, the official police security standard. Dean Armstrong is one of the UK’s most cited barristers in data protection and AI. At Facewatch he will take on the statutory DPO role under UK GDPR.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  certification  |  Facewatch  |  facial recognition  |  ISO 42001  |  ISO standards  |  responsible AI  |  retail biometrics