Weaponised Facial Recognition: Ukraine Uses Tech to Identify Dead Russian Soldiers, Sends Pics to Families
It was already revealed that Ukraine’s defence ministry had been using facial recognition technology. But according to a recent report, the software is now being used by Ukraine in such a way that the Russian families would turn against the war.
Controversial American facial recognition company Clearview AI’s CEO recently stated that Ukraine has begun using the software. It was also reported that the American company offered to track down Russian assailants, combat misinformation, and identify the dead soldiers.
But what makes it shocking is the fact that, according to a report by The Washington Post, the remains of Russian soldiers are then photographed and sent back to their families in Russia. It is apparently hoped that the dismal reality of battlefield deaths will shock ordinary Russians, who are supporting the “special military operation”, into opposing the war.
As reported recently, so far, about 9,000 facial recognition searches have been conducted on Russian servicemen who have died or been captured.
Meanwhile, volunteer hackers who cooperate with the Ukrainian government reportedly said that Russian families have been handed photographs linked to 582 fallen servicemen.
It is worth noting that the technology has been used in the current conflict by both countries.
While Russia is employing the technology to track down and apprehend anti-war protesters, it is being used by Ukraine to identify both its own and enemy dead. However, Clearview AI earlier confirmed that it had not given the equipment to Russia.
The American company has been surrounded by controversies for a while. It has been chastised for harvesting photographs from social media and for being used by US law enforcement.
Data protection activists filed complaints against the company in several countries. Protesters from Europe claimed that the software violates the strict privacy rules of the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Regulators from Australia to the US have been looking into the software as allegations first surfaced in early 2020. In Canada, the privacy commissioner had decided that the usage by its police was a severe breach of privacy rules.
However, since Russia invaded Ukraine, civilian and military casualties have soared. As reported recently, Ukraine police said that over 900 people were found to have been fatally shot in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital following Russia’s withdrawal.
The majority of the people were “simply executed”, according to a regional police officer in Kyiv. The dead were dumped in the streets or buried in makeshift graves, reports noted.
Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an interview that about 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 10,000 injured since Russia’s invasion of the nation. He also stated that based on the information available, Ukraine estimates Russian military deaths to be between 19,000 and 20,000.
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