Mass and widespread surveillance
The first video surveillance systems (CCTV cameras) began to appear in
Modern systems rely on artificialintelligence and eliminate the human factor: this opens up scope for working with huge amounts of information, which is inaccessible to humans. We are talking about both 2D or 3D recognition (the latter is a more reliable, but not so common option), and Facial analytics - analysis of facial features with determination of age, gender, emotional state and other parameters.
And if Facial analytics finds application soonerin business or the entertainment industry, then “simple” recognition is of interest primarily to near-state players: the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as other departments or structures dealing with security, infrastructure or social development. This is due to the scale that cameras allow to achieve: such systems are not only able to “recognize” a citizen by comparing him with a common base (after all, a person recognizes acquaintances in a crowd), but do this en masse, constantly and everywhere - due to the fact the fact that each camera acts as an element of a gigantic network, data from it enters a single center, and a queue is formed for the results of its work.
“Of course, the main and main purposecameras with this function help in searching and catching offenders. With the help of technology, authorities will be able to collect detailed and very accurate information about the number of people, their demographic characteristics, and the dependence of traffic on the time of day or weather. Big data will be useful for businesses to create quality products and services. Ultimately, this approach can have a positive impact on the city’s economy,” notes Vitaly Vinogradov, product manager for the cloud video surveillance and video analytics service Ivideon.
Big chinese brother
Mordorintelligence Forecasts Marketface recognition has already reached about $ 5 billion and will double by 2025. Leadership in this direction is held by the United States and China. It is the Chinese who are the most active on the planet to introduce face recognition technology, which is supported by the authorities. According to experts, Chinese megacities are the most “viewed” in the world, and this year for every two citizens of the country there will be one CCTV camera.
The database for each citizen is sois widespread, that retail outlets in cities around the country are starting to switch to paying with their face, and local authorities are even using recognition technology to encourage responsible handling of household waste: for example, before throwing away a drink can, you will have to smile at the camera in the trash can. It will also not be possible to cross the road in the wrong place without being noticed. Not to mention the fact that the cameras allow the country's authorities to identify wanted offenders. But not everything is so simple: firstly, the reliability of the systems has not yet reached the required level, and secondly, the issue of surveillance is increasingly becoming a reason for discussion among politicians.
“In China, it only takes seven minutes to delaya person entered in the database of dangerous persons, but we are talking about ideal conditions for the camera. Any camera can be easily fooled by closing with a mask, a scarf or a hat, or even just a palm. There is also a risk that if commercial structures are forbidden to massively use cameras with face recognition, then the technology will remain only for the state and law enforcement agencies, ”said Ilya Gambashidze, founder of the IT structure business group of companies developing the company.
He added that if any identifier, be itcard number or phone number can be changed and blocked in case of theft, then the biometric data is practically unchanged. According to Gambashidze, this means that the risks of loss of this information and its falling into unreliable hands are significantly higher.
The role of surveillance cameras incombating the spread of dangerous diseases. This clearly shows the example of the outbreak of coronavirus infection COVID-19, to contain and control which the Chinese authorities fully armed themselves with modern technologies. The cameras allow not only to detect those who do not wear protective masks, but also to identify people who show symptoms of the disease. For example, to find in the flow of people at airports and crowded places. But any massive monitoring of citizens has a price.
It is an example of the PRC in the context of the cameras mostIt is also indicative of the fact that all aspects of introducing technology are clearly visible here, although voices against recognition sound louder on the other side of the Great Wall of China.
“Mass face recognition is prohibited inSan Francisco, China accused of persecuting national minorities with smart cameras, in Russia they demanded judicially recognize recognition of persons as illegal. The rhetoric of the opponents of technology comes down to the factors of surveillance and intrusion into personal space, there were even suggestions to recognize the inviolability of biometric data, followed by a ban from use, ”said Alena Zhivotova, member of the Russian Bar Association.
The other side, she says, points to the positivestechnologies in ensuring security. As Zhivotova notes, society is in dialogue and people, obviously, have yet to develop a compromise approach to this issue.
So far, from the legal side, face recognitionIt does not raise questions, but, as is often the case with new technologies, they enter our lives before a person manages to tackle their regulation. The latter is becoming increasingly relevant for most countries, and Russia is no exception.
View all of Moscow
Russia, or rather, Moscow, is one of the leaders in implementing face recognition technology. Of course, we are still far from the indicators of China and the USA, but the implementation process is ongoing.
According to Сomparitech, the capital of Russia occupies18th place in the world in the number of surveillance cameras, overtaking Berlin and Delhi. There are about 12 video devices per 1 thousand population of Moscow. The top 50 "most viewed" also included St. Petersburg, for every thousand inhabitants of which there are about 5.5 cameras. For comparison, the first place in the list is occupied by the Chinese metropolis of Chongqing, for every thousand inhabitants of which there are 1688 “eyes”.
But the situation in Russia is actively changing: the number of simple cameras and those that are able to “recognize” people is growing steadily. So, in 2020, a system of 105 thousand cameras with recognition technology began to work in Moscow. The system, as it should be, in real time works on the identification of wanted persons and has already brought the first fruits: more than 30 people were detained only during the New Year holidays. In addition, as the mayor of the city, Sergei Sobyanin, said, from September 1, 2020, cameras with recognition in full force will begin to work in the Moscow metro.
Current legislation formally allowsplace CCTV systems, including those with facial recognition, the successful implementation of the technology leaves no chance to argue with its effectiveness. Nevertheless, questions raised earlier in other countries regarding rights and freedoms began to sound in our country.
Yes, in November 2019, the court did not consider recognition technology to be an interference in privacy and rejected the claim of human rights activist Alena Popova. But the issue cannot yet be considered resolved.
“Discussion about the admissibility and legality of installationcameras has several more dimensions. Firstly, not just static personal data is recorded and accumulated, but synthetic data bases are formed that allow you to get an idea of your travel routes, meeting places, circle of acquaintances. Secondly, it is not only the fact of operation of such cameras that causes concern, but also the existing regulations for access to recorded information, or rather, the complete lack of public control over both the procedure for their adoption and the practice of their use,” notes the candidate of legal sciences, co-founder Moscow Digital School Boris Yedidin.
He added that, on the one hand, there are notechnical solutions that can eliminate possible leaks, and on the other hand, at the moment there is no “adequate system for holding people accountable” for the illegal use of data.
No privacy
Digitalization is a term that applies not only toeconomics, but also to social and political life. While governments around the world are thinking about how to combat deepfakes, avoid leaks of personal data and at the same time reach a new level of security, technologies themselves and for objective reasons are finding their way “to the people,” or rather, to their data.
Face recognition technology is one of the brightestexamples of this process. Yes, we have nothing against it when it comes to phones that “recognize” us, but the practice of bringing technology to the mass level raises additional questions for both society and politicians.
Need for security andoptimizing a set of measures to maintain it is a task facing any state that, judging by the current state of affairs, does not see an alternative. Another issue is that the dialogue regarding cameras with recognition has just begun, and the ball is on the side of the civil and professional community. What initiatives will be proposed and what the world will be like in a year, two or ten years, depends on joint work and dialogue, which should be conducted by all interested parties.
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