Thread by @internetfreedom

The Meghalaya Government has replied to our legal notice and has explained its position wrt to the use of FRT for verification of pensioners’ identities! We have analysed the response here ⬇️ 1/6

internetfreedom.in/the-use-of-frt…

The Govt. of Meghalaya says that the deployment of Facial Recognition Technology is optional and not mandatory. What it forgets is that the principles of information security must be complied by any authority collecting data, even when such collection is on a voluntary basis. 2/6

GoM says that the use of FRT doesn’t require any anchoring legislation, and doesn’t violate the right to privacy. What it forgets is that in the absence of a data protection law, the high risk of data misuse outweighs the aim of offering additional convenience to pensioners. 3/6

The Government of #Meghalaya says that people can take recourse under the IT Act in case their data is misused. This isn’t true because the IT Act does not have any provisions that allow citizens to raise issues of data protection. 4/6

The Govt. of Meghalaya says that the privacy policy of the mobile app talks about the collection and purpose of data as well as the period for which information will be retained. The policy, however, is vaguely worded and only mentions a “reasonable time” for data retention. 5/6

FRT is a dangerous technology with serious implications on your right to privacy. Its use has been shown to increase bias and exclusion of the marginalised.

We thank @jadelyngdoh_ for taking a stand on this, and are considering the appropriate next steps in the matter. 6/6

Visit @PanopticIndia to know more about how the use of FRT increases surveillance, threatens privacy and contributes to inequalities.

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