• Source:JND

Currently, with the ongoing students' protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, there are fresh reports coming out that have yet again opened another Pandora's box and have given rise to a new debate over the kind of technology that has been employed at the protest site to monitor people there. Videos are spreading like wildfire on the social media platform X, with several people present at the protest claiming that the Delhi Police is using AI-powered facial recognition tech to scan the protesters instantly. The clips are being shared, and one of them was also shared by the CJP on X as well where a surveillance vehicle can be seen with 360-degree cameras, and inside the vehicle there is also a screen that is apparently displaying the names and photographs of a few select protesters on the site.

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But are these identification techniques somehow linked to Aadhaar? The videos do not mention Aadhaar at all to begin with. However, it is reportedly being said that the system pulls out personal information after it scans faces, and this is giving rise to the question of whether the system is connected to Aadhaar or any other database used by the government. So far, there is no official confirmation on whether Aadhaar is being used, and Delhi Police has not stated if the technology is linked to the database used by Aadhaar.

AI Vans Can Be Seen At Jantar Mantar

According to a report from Indian Express, Delhi Police has placed two surveillance vehicles near the protest venue. One vehicle out there that works as a monitoring unit and gets its feed from CCTV cameras installed at the venue. The second vehicle, on the other hand, is using artificial intelligence to analyse the feeds from the first vehicle and is comparing faces with images which are present in the police database. 

Although inputs from PTI suggest that there are currently four Facial Recognition Systems (FRS) at the protest site, and those vehicles are there to identify wanted criminals, absconders and historysheeters, a police source told the agency.

"The surveillance system is not for ordinary protesters but is meant to identify those with criminal antecedents who may try to 'infiltrate the protest' and disturb law and order"

Inputs from the agency also suggest that these vehicles have been positioned at key entry and exit points at the protest venue and are directly linked to the database from Delhi Police.

 

The officials have said that the tech is not being used to analyse every protester, but is there to bring notice to police if there is anyone there with a criminal record in the crowd. A senior police personnel also told the Indian Express, "We have a large database of criminals, with their pictures. So, we run facial recognition on the footage that is received from the various CCTVs in the area, to see if it flags any face the software matches with someone on our criminal database,".

The facial recognition that is inside the Ikshana vehicle was introduced during the 2023 G20 Summit by the Delhi Police, which formed a part of its surveillance infrastructure.

The Question On Aadhaar Data And Privacy Still Remains

However, the videos have stirred up new questions that ask if this technology is being used to access Aadhaar records, although the videos show no such evidence that supports such claims. In the footage that is being shared on social media, only a few faces can be seen, which are next to personal information stored on the police system.

But this does give rise to some important questions about privacy, like what database is being accessed exactly to take out this data, and if it's not Aadhaar, then what database is it? It also brings to the fore another question that is it unconstitutional to scan protestors on a mass scale and whether it violates their privacy which is a fundamental right.

There are inputs from PTI that says

Protesters Speak Out Against Constant Surveillance

There are many students there at the protest and have spoken against the visible use of cameras, as it makes them uncomfortable. Some protestors there are now covering their faces as they are worried that their images can be used against them in the future. A UPSC aspirant told Indian Express that demonstrators were hiding their faces because they did not want to risk getting profiled as they were preparing for government jobs.

There are also questions about how long will the police hold footage that was taken during the protest. Another senior officer, while speaking to the media organisation told that there is no fixed timeline for this or for deleting the records, especially if it has some relevant usage afterwards relating to an investigation.

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Meanwhile, this surveillance has become a bone of contention and a legal challenge as well. A petition is there before the High Court that argues that this constant surveillance and monitoring of protestors at the site violates their right to privacy and peaceful assembly. Delhi Police, on the other hand, has maintained that this is only for maintaining law and order at the protest venue and to ensure public safety, and is not being used to conduct surveillance, the report says.


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