NtechLab is implementing a facial recognition surveillance project in India intended to monitor the movement of train commuters, but civil society activists are warning this could lead to a reduction of certain civil freedoms. According to the Financial Times (FT), the biometric project is being undertaken by Indian Railways – the body managing the urban train travel system in the country.
The deployment of the biometric surveillance system has reached the installation of nearly 500 facial recognition surveillance cameras and has already been active for about one month now in 30 of the busiest train stations in the western states Gujarat and Maharashtra, including Mumbai.
Andrey Telenkov, CEO of NtechLab, said that apart from its ability to accurately recognize up to 50 persons in a single frame including those with face masks, the surveillance system can also help in the identification of criminals through live footage tracking, as well as identify missing persons. The official said it was one of the most technically challenging surveillance projects NtechLab has executed, due to the volume of people whose images it processes.
NtechLab is deploying its facial recognition surveillance platform in several Russian cities and public security systems. The company recently announced an update to its suite of computer vision and biometric software.
