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.

Play, subscribe and stand a chance to win prizes worth over RM39,000! T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 11.12/month

Billed as RM 11.12 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 9.87/month

Billed as RM 118.40 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Tech News

Japan approves additional $4 billion for chipmaker Rapidus
Online, motherhood Is a test no one can pass
AI chatbots offer children harm as if it were help, says activist
OpenAI identifies security issue involving third-party tool, says user data was not accessed
Losing jobs and minds? AI effects will be far-reaching, analysts warn
US judge blocks Arizona criminal case against Kalshi at CFTC's request
How AI helped 1 man (and his brother) build a US$1.8 billion company
Proxy adviser Glass Lewis recommends Warner Bros shareholders vote for Paramount deal
Tesla's supervised self-driving software gets Dutch okay, first in Europe
IBM to pay $17 million to settle US government probe over DEI

Others Also Read