Automatic facial recognition in India is one of the largest in the world.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Saat confinement applied in the city of Hyderabad, India, SQ activist Masood was arrested on the street by police. He was asked to take off his mask, then he took a picture of it without giving a reason and ignoring his protests.

Fearing that his photo might be misused, Masood sent an official letter to the city’s police chief. After his letter went unanswered, last month he filed a complaint over the use of the facial recognition system in Telangana state. The case is the first in India.

“As a Muslim and working with a minority group that is often targeted by the police, I feared that my photos would be misused and that I could be humiliated,” Masood, 38, said.

“It is also about the right to privacy and the right to know why I was photographed, what it was used for, who had access to it and how the photo was protected. Everyone has the right to know this information,” he said. .

Masood’s petition is seen as a “test run” for facial recognition systems installed across India. Digital rights activists say the system violates privacy and other fundamental rights.

facial recognition technology (facial recognition) using artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence/AI) to match a person’s image with an existing image in the database. This technology has been widely used for various purposes, such as unlocking cell phones and reporting (registration) at the airport.

Use of the automatic facial recognition system in India to be one of the biggest in the world. The Indian government has previously said India needs to step up security to prevent crime and find missing children. But there’s little evidence the technology is reducing crime rates, critics say.

The system also failed to accurately identify people and women with darker skin. Its use becomes problematic when India has no data protection laws, say digital rights activists.

“Technology is being implemented very quickly in India, arguing that 24/7 surveillance is necessary and good for us,” said Anushka Jain of the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), an advocacy group for digital rights in Delhi.

“It’s important to oppose this idea, and court cases like this will help raise awareness, most people don’t even know they’re being watched,” said Jain, a fellow adviser to the ‘IFF, who helped prepare the petition.

origin: between