10/07/2019 - Science and Technology | GS III

IAS Parliament 5 years

KEY POINTS

What is automated facial recognition?

AFRS works by maintaining a large database with photos and videos of peoples’ faces. Then, a new image of an unidentified person often taken from CCTV footage is compared to the existing database to find a match and identify the person. The artificial intelligence technology used for pattern-finding and matching is called “neural networks”.

Relevance of facial recognition system in India

· It is a new idea the country has started to experiment with. On July 1, the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s “DigiYatra” using facial recognition for airport entry was trialled in the Hyderabad airport.

· The NCRB, which manages crime data for police, would like to use automated facial recognition to identify criminals, missing people, and unidentified dead bodies, as well as for “crime prevention”.

· The project is aimed at being compatible with other biometrics such as iris and fingerprints.

· “Automated Facial Recognition System can play a very vital role in improving outcomes in the area of Criminal identification and verification by facilitating easy recording, analysis, retrieval and sharing of Information between different organisations.”

· NCRB has proposed integrating this facial recognition system with multiple existing databases. The most prominent is the NCRB-managed Crime and The new facial recognition system will also be integrated with Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS), as well as state-specific systems, the Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT), and the Koya Paya portal on missing children.

The concerns around using facial recognition

· Cyber experts across the world have cautioned against government abuse of facial recognition technology, as it can be used as tool of control and risks inaccurate results.

· Centralized database with the government can be used as tood for spying on the citizens.

· This can lead to violation of right to privacy, fundamental right, outcome of Puttaswamy case.

· Amid National Crime Records Bureau’s controversial step to install an automated facial recognition system, India should take note of the ongoing privacy debate in the US. Indian citizens are more vulnerable in the absence of a Data Protection Law.

· Poor internet connectivity affects the efficiency of facial recognition technology.

· International organisations have also condemned the Chinese government on its use of surveillance cameras and facial recognition to constrict the rights of Uighurs, a mostly Muslim minority.