Human Rights Activists Raise Concerns Over Misuse of CCTV, Facial Recognition Technology in India
Date
3/21/2023 8:22:40 AM
(MENAFN) Khadeer Khan's recent death in custody in the south Indian city of Hyderabad has sparked concerns among human rights activists over the misuse of CCTV and facial recognition technology in India. In January, Khan was arrested by the police, who claimed to have identified him from CCTV footage as a suspect in a chain snatching incident. However, he was released a few days later after it was determined that he was not the person seen in the footage. Khan died while being treated for injuries allegedly sustained while in custody.
According to K. Saidulu, a deputy superintendent of police, Khan was arrested because he looked like the man seen in the CCTV footage, and his release was done as per procedure. However, human rights activists argue that this incident is a clear example of the risks associated with the widespread use of CCTV and facial recognition technology in Telangana state, which has among the highest concentrations of the surveillance technology in the country.
S.Q. Masood, a human rights activist who filed a lawsuit in 2021 challenging the use of facial recognition in Telangana, has warned for many years about the potential misuse of such technology for harassment and misidentification of individuals. Khan's case is not an isolated incident, and there have been several instances of people being wrongly identified and arrested based on CCTV footage or facial recognition technology.
The use of such technology raises important questions about privacy, security, and human rights. Human rights activists are calling for greater regulation and oversight of the use of CCTV and facial recognition technology to prevent further incidents like Khan's death. The issue is particularly pressing in India, where the use of such technology is rapidly increasing, and the potential for misuse is high.
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