Anyone visiting Cardiff for the Champions League final "may have their faces checked via facial recognition software," according to Ruth Mosalski of WALES ONLINE. Police have been given funding to "capture images of anyone in the city and compare images to their databases of known suspects." The security operation for the Champions League final is "unprecedented," according to South Wales Police in the "wake of terror attacks around the world." On the day of the final, 170,000 fans are expected to be in the city center and police have "asked anyone not coming to see the final to stay away from the city." Images "will be captured on the day of the final, June 3, in and around the Principality Stadium and Cardiff central railway station" (WALES ONLINE, 4/27). The BBC's Chris Baraniuk reported police intend to "use the system to scan faces at various locations, but it will not be a condition of entry to the stadium." The value of the contract is listed at £177,000 ($228,577) and South Wales Police said that it "secured Home Office funding for the technology." Police said, "The UEFA Champions League finals in Cardiff give us a unique opportunity to test and prove the concept of this technology in a live operational environment, which will hopefully prove the benefits and the application of such technology across policing." University of East Anglia IT law lecturer Paul Bernal said that the planned pilot for the Champions League final is something we should be "worried about." He said, "This one is particularly intrusive -- it's not just about the match itself, but the station and the city center" (BBC, 4/27).
