This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The results of Australia's first live facial recognition trial have been released. Since June 2026, the Western Australian Police Force has been testing the technology across metropolitan and regional WA.
During the trial, more than 900,000 faces were scanned, generating 209 alerts (notifications that a scanned face matched someone from a police watch list) and 79 arrests. The technology identified and engaged 114 registered sex offenders. However, there were eight incorrect alerts.
At first glance, these results seem to tell a success story. As other jurisdictions across the country consider whether to implement the technology, the WA trial is likely to be viewed with considerable interest. Calls for wider use may soon follow.
Yet the key question is not whether live facial recognition technology can identify people of interest. The more important question is what happens if it fails and who bears the burden when it does. This question will become increasingly important as live facial recognition technology becomes more widespread.
During the trial, WA police deployed live facial recognition cameras in public, including at major crowd events, and compared images of faces against a police watch list. If the technology records a match with a person of interest on the list, the system sends an alert to nearby officers. The results released this week seem to be presented as evidence the trial was a success, with a significant number of people of interest identified, 79 arrests and relatively few errors.
Yet the numbers do not tell us whether the trial was an ethical success. Before and during the trial, several commentators raised ethical concerns about the use of live facial recognition technology. The technology works by scanning large numbers of people in public spaces.
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