Moscow's lockdown permit system fuels surveillance fears

A traffic police officer verifies documents of a driver at a checkpoint in Moscow, Russia, on April 13. — Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters

MOSCOW: Moscow authorities said on April 14 that they had revoked 900,000 travel permits for use during the coronavirus lockdown because they contained false data, fuelling fears that the state was using the epidemic to tighten its surveillance of citizens.

Like the residents of many other regions, 12.7 million Muscovites have been told not to leave home except to buy food, get urgent medical treatment or walk the dog. From April 15, anyone travelling by car or public transport will need to be able to show a permit in the form of a machine-readable QR code.