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Moscow subway users have started buying tickets using facial recognition technology. Authorities claim queues at ticket counters will be greatly shortened with the system dubbed “Face Pay”. This move, however, is already sparking controversy since facial recognition has been used in the past for repressive purposes. In this edition, we explore these technologies that are being deployed in smart cities around the world and whether this means the end of anonymity in public places.
In Russia, a facial recognition payment system has just been rolled out in the capital’s subway. Users no longer need their phones or metro cards. Instead, cameras can scan their faces, which are linked directly to their bank cards. Authorities say the only goal is to shorten waiting times. Facial recognition is already widely used in Moscow, especially in supermarkets, as our correspondents Gulliver Cragg and Elena Volochine explain.
Facial recognition is already a widely used technology in Russia. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been applied to tens of thousands of surveillance cameras to monitor compliance with containment and quarantine measures. Political opponents to the regime have also been arrested, prompting several NGOs to criticise its extensive use. We ask Marcus Goddard, head of intelligence at Netexplo, how cities can win back citizens’ trust.
And in Test 24, we try a solar kit made by French telecommunications company Orange. It’s already being used in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it enables people to stay connected 24/7 despite regular power outages.
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