Facewatch has appointed leading barrister Dean Armstrong KC as its new data protection officer as the retailer-focused facial recognition specialist looks to strengthen governance around the growing use of the technology.
The company said Armstrong’s appointment to the statutory role under UK GDPR brings “a level of legal seniority rarely seen” in a private sector data protection function.
Armstrong is regarded as one of the UK’s leading legal specialists in data protection, cyber law and artificial intelligence, and has previously advised on issues surrounding live facial recognition technology.
Announcing the appointment, Facewatch chief executive Nick Fisher said the move reflected the need for robust oversight as live facial recognition becomes more widely used across the retail sector.
“Dean is one of the most respected legal minds in the country on data protection, AI and the law that governs them. His arrival as our Data Protection Officer is a statement of intent,” Fisher said.
“The United Kingdom is ahead of almost every comparable market in the world in the responsible commercial use of live facial recognition, and the retail sector here is leading that adoption.”
He added that the company wanted to set “the highest standards of governance, transparency and accountability”.
Facewatch notice Photo: Handout
Facewatch provides live facial recognition technology to more than 125 retailers operating thousands of stores across the UK, alerting staff when individuals previously linked to criminal behaviour enter a store.
According to the company, its system has helped reduce repeat offending by up to 70 per cent while improving staff safety amid rising levels of retail crime and abuse against shop workers.
The business said its technology generated more than 500,000 real-time alerts in 2025 alone.
Retailers using the system include Budgens, Frasers Group, Flannels, Home Bargains, Sainsbury's and Sports Direct.
Commenting on his appointment, Armstrong said live facial recognition raised “important questions around governance, accountability and proportionality”.
“What matters is not simply whether organisations use these technologies, but whether they do so lawfully, transparently and with appropriate safeguards in place,” he said.
The growing use of facial recognition technology in retail has also attracted controversy in recent years, with several cases involving innocent shoppers being wrongly identified.