Image Recognition
In a move that will intensify surveillance in public places, the Railways Department is working on installing facial recognition system (FRS) at all major stations at the East Central Railway, according to a report by Times of India (TOI). The report added that the railways department has identified at least 200 stations for a complete security overhaul, of which a few stations fall under the ECR jurisdiction. The railways department plans to link the data captured by the FRS to other crime databases, which poses a risk of mass-profiling and surveillance, and also raises concerns of tech-induced discrimination against communities. India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act offers a wide range of exemptions to government entities for processing people’s personal data without having to follow necessary safeguards such obtaining consent, or even providing information on such activities to the person whose data is being processed. Further, Section 17(1)(c) of the bill also exempts entities which are processing personal data in the interest of prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of any offence from certain key provisions of the law.