Uzbekistan plans broad facial recognition deployment, social media photos in database

Uzbekistan is in the process of putting in place a system whereby law enforcement authorities will use biometrics such as fingerprints and facial recognition to identity criminal suspects or find missing people, writes Kun.

This was one of the issues discussed during a recent meeting of the Senate Commission on Cooperation with the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, with Senate Speaker explaining that the introduction of the system is part of the country’s plan to expand its use of such technologies which are already widely deployed around the world. Police officers will be equipped with tablets loaded with software for fingerprint and face biometrics.

Mukhsinjon Sultanov, chief specialist of the MIA Cyber Security Center, explained the essence of the project during the meeting and how the artificial intelligence-based system will function. According to the official, the system works by comparing a selected photo or image to the one in the biometric database to ascertain the identity of the concerned.

The official explained that the system will work on seven principal aspects which include face recognition, control of quarantine regulations, organizers of mass riots, crime detection program, detection of fake face images, profiling analysis, and forming a psychological portrait of an individual using social engineering.

The report adds that the database of the AI system will include four main components, namely; video surveillance camera images, photo-videos on social networks, video-images on body cameras, and photo-videos on mobile phones.

Insisting on the importance of the system, the Senate chair said there is need for consultations and for everyone to be involved. “The public needs to be aware of the purposes for which foreign investment is being used and, most importantly, to feel the results in their own lives. Therefore, a serious approach to the issue is required,” the report quotes him as saying.

Discussions, he said, should continue with the view to developing the proposed roadmap for the project’s successful implementation.

Uzbekistan announced a plan to issue biometric ID cards to citizens, permanent residents and stateless individuals just over a year ago.

Article Topics

biometric database  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  police  |  social media  |  Uzbekistan  |  video surveillance