Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

New Capabilities

Previously found police use of Clearview AI unlawful; likely to scrutinize emerging bodycam facial recognition

In December 2025, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) in Alberta, Canada, began a month-long “proof of concept” in which Axon body-worn cameras run third‑party facial-recognition software to scan passersby against a tightly scoped yet sizable watchlist: 6,341 people flagged in EPS systems for risks such as “violent or assaultive,” “armed and dangerous,” or “high‑risk offender,” plus 724 individuals with serious arrest warrants, for roughly 7,000 faces in total. Officers do not receive real-time alerts during the pilot; instead, footage is analyzed afterward to test accuracy and workflows.

Updated Dec 11, 2025