Automated Facial Recognition System(AFRS)

News:Government of India has asked the IT companies to send proposals to National Crime Record Bureau(NCRB) to install world’s largest facial recognition system.The winner of the bids will create National Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS).

Facts:

About Automated Facial Recognition System(AFRS):

• Automated Facial Recognition System involves a large database of photos as well as videos of peoples’ faces and biometric software. 
• The software maps facial features of an individual mathematically and stores the data as a faceprint in the database.
• Then,a new image of an unidentified person is 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.
• Neural networks are a set of algorithms modeled loosely after the human brain that are designed to recognize patterns.

Concerns:

• Cyber experts have cautioned that the Automated Facial Recognition System can be used as a controlling tool by the government and transform India into a police state.
• In the absence of data protection law,Indian citizens will be more vulnerable to privacy abuses if AFRS is used.
• The use of surveillance cameras and facial recognition constrict the rights of particular class of people.
• Moreover,even facial recognition systems are not 100% accurate. Therefore,there can be chances of mistaken identity.

Additional information:

About NCRB:

• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The agency is responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL).