Russia is always an interesting country when something major happens. The coronavirus crisis has given way to some very interesting, albeit probably controversial ideas.
Authoritarian technology is nothing new in Russia by any means.
Facial Recognition in Times of Corona
President Putin has some very interesting ideas when it comes to new and existing technologies alike.
His vision of creating Russian Internet, for example, is still very much alive today.
With the coronavirus crisis creating havoc, it appears that new powers and technology will need to be tested.
One form of technology is already being used today.
Moscow has become home to mass facial recognition surveillance, which was rolled out earlier in 2020.
While it faced a lot of initial backlash, the system has now received some positive attention as well.
The coronavirus crisis helps shift the public perception of this system, for some reason.
In fact, Moscow police have fined 200 individuals violating the quarantine and self-isolation rules.
All of this is made possible thanks to the invasive surveillance system.
The current topic of conversation is to introduce additional cameras to prevent dark corners from existing.
If successful, Moscow will become home to an extra 9,000 facial recognition-enabled cameras.
While such measures are a violation of consumer privacy, they may be warranted during times like these.
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