Companies are using facial recognition to watch us without our permission. How on earth can we trust them?

These companies claim that our data is safe with them and deleted regularly. But can we be sure?

An independent survey found that 80 per cent of people ‘flagged’ as suspicious using facial recognition techniques by the Metropolitan Police are innocent (Getty)

This summer, thousands of families have taken their children to enjoy free entertainment in the terrific canal-side spaces behind Kings Cross station in central London.

One of the most successful urban regeneration schemes in recent years, the former goods yards and railway offices behind St Pancras and Kings Cross terminals have been transformed into a bustling public space. There are playful fountains, open-air seating, dozens of shops and restaurants, alongside offices for Central St Martin’s University and media companies like the Guardian Media Group and Google.

Like Broadgate, another thriving public space in the City of London, Kings Cross is privately owned, and Argent, the developers, are using extensive surveillance to monitor members of the public. Hundreds of cameras throughout the 67-acre site record visitors using sophisticated facial recognition techniques. What on earth for? Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denton has ordered an immediate investigation.