The digital identification parade

NCRB’s proposed Automated Facial Recognition System impinges on right to privacy, is likely to target certain groups

ncrb, facial recognition, facial recognition system, ncrb facial recognition, indian express — The National Crime Records Bureau recently issued a request for proposals for the procurement of an Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS). (Photo: Reuters/Representational image)

The National Crime Records Bureau recently issued a request for proposals for the procurement of an Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS). The stated objective of the AFRS is to “identify criminals, missing persons/children, unidentified dead bodies and unknown traced children/persons”. It will be designed to compare images against a “watchlist” curated using images from “any […] image database available with police/other entity”, and “newspapers, raids, sent by people, sketches, etc.” The integration of diverse databases indicates the lack of a specific purpose, with potential for ad hoc use at later stages. Data sharing arrangements with the vendor are unclear, raising privacy concerns around corporate access to sensitive information of crores of individuals.