Corsight’s real-time biometric surveillance in Bogotá public transit results in six arrests

In Bogotá, U.S. and UK-headquartered facial recognition provider Corsight has partnered with metropolitan police to complete a 30-day proof of concept (POC) in TransMilenio, the city’s public transit system. Police were able to capture several individuals wanted for murder and theft. Some believe the system is a win for public safety, while others worry about overpolicing through mass surveillance.

There are almost 800 cameras installed throughout the TransMilenio network, but only 20 strategically located cameras were a part of the facial recognition POC. Corsight AI’s facial recognition software analyzed the footage and cross-referenced a database of over five thousand people with active court orders in the city.

Law enforcement used the results to identify and locate individuals who matched within the system.

Six people – one suspected of homicide and five of theft – were arrested within the first two weeks of the POC as a result of Corsight’s facial recognition, according to a company statement. Additionally, the system identified at least ten individuals as those on the city’s most wanted list.

Corsight’s facial recognition technology can perform accurate identification on footage with low light and poor image quality as well as on partially obscured faces, according to the company.

“The successful POC results illustrate the significant potential this technology holds in deterring criminal activity and making public spaces safer for Bogotá residents,” says Corsight Sales Manager for Latin America Karla M. López.

Generally speaking, the Latin American region is behind when it comes to establishing sufficient data protection laws, creating a heightened risk for human rights violations and the creation of a police state, argues Maria Badillo in an article from International Bar Association.

Mexico City’s surveillance system of 80,000 cameras has also resulted in a number of false arrests and concerning judicial practices like presenting suspects in court in outfits to make them more closely resemble individuals in the footage being used as evidence against them.

Bogotá first attempted facial recognition enhanced surveillance in the city’s transit system by implementing a system developed by FaceFirst back in 2015.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Colombia  |  Corsight  |  facial recognition  |  Latin America  |  transportation  |  video surveillance