Face for sale: Leaks and lawsuits blight Russia facial recognition

Moscow boasts one of the world's most comprehensive surveillance systems. Picture for illustration only. — Pixabay

TBILISI: When Anna Kuznetsova saw an ad offering access to Moscow's face recognition cameras, all she had to do was pay 16,000 roubles (RM864.74) and send a photo of the person she wanted spying on.

The 20-year-old – who was acting as a volunteer for a digital rights group investigating leaks in Moscow's pervasive surveillance system – sent over a picture of herself and waited.