Press Release, 13.12.2022

Photo by Alexander Miridonov, Kommersant

On 15 December, the Moscow City Duma will host a round table dedicated to evaluating the effectiveness of the federal experiment with face recognition systems in Moscow. Deputies, officials and experts will discuss approaches to assessing the effectiveness of the experimental face recognition system in Moscow, crime detection rates, the specifics of data storage and legal regulation of the use of information systems. The moderator of the round table is Maxim Kruglov, head of the Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma.

Since July 2020, in accordance with the new federal law, an experiment has been conducted in Moscow to introduce artificial intelligence technology into tracking systems. The duration of the experiment is five years, two of which have already passed.

The most noticeable change in the life of Muscovites in connection with the experiment was the increase in surveillance cameras in the streets of Moscow and  introduction of a face recognition system. According to both the city authorities and law enforcement officers, new technologies are aimed at reduction of the number of street crimes and raising the number of solved incidents. However, to date, no overall assessment of the effect of the new policy has been carried out with an analysis of data of the first two years of the experiment. Have face recognition systems really improved investigative work and increased crime detection rates in Moscow? What criteria and data should be used to evaluate effectiveness? As an attempt to answer this question, a special study will be presented.

The issue of data safety and accuracy is also important not only for developers, the authorities and law enforcement officers. Citizens are afraid of leakage of personal data and their illegal use.

In this regard, Yabloko in the Moscow City Duma considers it necessary to develop mechanisms for collecting feedback on the operation of the face recognition system not only from officials, but also from members of the public, including Moscow City Duma deputies.

Maksim Kruglov, an MP from Yabloko in the Moscow City Duma, believes that if the authorities have imposed a deal of “security in exchange for freedom” on society, the terms of this deal should be transparent.

“How effectively security cameras allow us to fight crime, we still do not know for sure after two years of the experiment. However, there are examples of how law enforcement use cameras against politicians and civil activists. There are also serious issues related to the security of storing personal data of citizens, their video image and the possibility of using this data in an inappropriate way. The task of the round table is to discuss these issues and take a step towards full public control of this controversial area”, Maxim Kruglov says.

Deputies of the Moscow City Duma, members of expert communities on information security and personal data protection, representatives of the Department of Information Technologies of the City of Moscow, the Department of Transport and Road Development, and representatives of law enforcement agencies are invited to participate in the round table.

The event will take place on 15 December from 12:00 to 14:00 (Msk). Broadcast of the round table will be available on the YouTube channel of the Moscow City Duma.