ICO to step in after schools use facial recognition to speed up lunch queue

Privacy campaigners raise concerns after nine schools in North Ayrshire scan faces of pupils to take payments

The Information Commissioner’s Office is to intervene over concerns about the use of facial recognition technology on pupils queueing for lunch in school canteens in the UK.

Nine schools in North Ayrshire began taking payments for school lunches this week by scanning the faces of their pupils, according to a report in the Financial Times. More schools are expected to follow.