In this blogpost, we have collated and analyzed our RTI findings and other research on the Delhi Police’s use of facial recognition technology. #ProjectPanoptic
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internetfreedom.in/is-the-illegal…
During the protests which took place last year, multiple reports emerged of the Delhi Police using facial recognition technology.
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indianexpress.com/article/india/…
On December 28, 2020, we sent a legal notice to the Delhi Police asking them to halt the use of facial recognition in Delhi.
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internetfreedom.in/we-demand-the-…
However, reports emerged that even in 2020 use of facial recognition by the Delhi Police is ongoing.
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indiatoday.in/india/story/de…
It is important to note here that use of facial recognition technology is being done in Delhi without there being any legal framework in place to regulate it. This is violative of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s decision in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy vs Union of India.
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On January 24, 2020 we filed a Right to Information request with the Delhi Police asking them questions pertaining to their use of facial recognition and the legality of this use.
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In their reply dated February 20, 2020, the Delhi Police stated that the legal framework based on which they have acquired facial recognition technology is the Delhi High Court’s decision in Sadhan Haldar v NCT of Delhi.
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It is pertinent to note here that in Sadhan Haldar v NCT of Delhi, the Court has authorised the Delhi Police to obtain facial recognition technology for the purpose of tracking and re-uniting missing children.
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However, in their reply to our RTI request, in response to our query asking about the purpose for which the Delhi Police is using facial recognition, they replied that the technology is being used to match similar faces for police investigation.
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This is a clear instance of function creep. Function creep occurs when a technology or system gradually widens its scope from its original purpose to encompass and fulfill wider functions.
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This is the major concern among many privacy experts with regard to the use of facial recognition technology wherein they are worried that its use will exceed the indicated purpose of security and will end up facilitating state-sponsored mass surveillance.
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Use of FRT against individuals protesting against the actions of the government sets a chilling precedent and also threatens the fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Constitution to each citizen including the right to freedom of expression.
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economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-…
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