By the end of the year, the face recognition system will operate in a quarter of the Moscow metro cars

According to available data, within the framework of the above-mentioned tender, additional video cameras, and specialized software will be purchased. Ultimately, eight cameras will be installed in each carriage, which is capable of recognizing and sorting passengers’ faces. Since the current operating fleet of the metro is about 6,000 cars, by the end of the year, cameras will be installed in about 1,500 cars.

The full-scale operation of the face recognition system on the streets and courtyards of Moscow began in January this year. Around the same time, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that the face recognition system would reach the metro by the end of the year. Currently, the Moscow mayor’s office uses 170 different information systems, which together implement the “Smart City” concept. Every day, the street face recognition system processes tens of millions of images. She is able to identify a person based on a sample photo, for example, from a passport.

The source notes that despite statements by the Moscow government that the facial recognition system processes data in an impersonal form, events in recent months have shown that, if necessary, it can be easily used for surveillance. For example, during quarantine in the metropolitan area, cameras were successfully used to identify violators of the self-isolation regime and passengers on flights who came into contact with citizens infected with the coronavirus.