Facial recognition AI is increasingly becoming a tool of Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia—and has already been used to arrest hundreds of people.
According to a Reuters investigation, authorities have been using facial recognition tech since 2021 to arrest protestors and even prevent people from attending demonstrations in the first place.
A review of more than 2000 court cases showed that authorities have been using Western AI technology to crack down on dissent.
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Reuters spoke to 29 detainees who were arrested or detained by Russian police while going about their days, including going to and from work, visiting the theatre, or in one case, taking their mother to a doctors appointment. In some instances, they were held for up to 18 hours and given warnings against protesting.
In one case, a woman was taken away by police armed with machine guns who knew exactly which train carriage she was on thanks to the tool.
Moscow first introduced its facial recognition surveillance network in 2017, saying it would be used to tackle crime. But since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, the tech has since been deployed to stop people even protesting in the first place.
The equipment they use is powered with algorithms created by Belarusian and Russian companies, and Reuters found that at least three of the companies involved are using chips from US companies—although none of these are being accused of breaching sanctions on Russia.
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Tech experts have warned that facial recognition AI could be misused by governments in other countries as well.
Simon Randall, a cybersecurity expert from privacy platform Pimloc, said: "This is a poignant example of how state-implemented technologies can be turned to sinister ends."
He added: "Once powerful facial recognition technology is in place, it is subject to the whim of governmental policy, whatever this may be.
"No matter how well-meaning the introduction of facial recognition surveillance, if there are not adequate safeguards in place, there will always be a chance that it could be used to curtail civil liberties."
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