Privacy fears as Indian city readies facial recognition to spot harassed women

Women wearing masks as a precaution against the coronavirus cross a road in Kolkata, India. Facial recognition technology is being increasingly deployed in airports, railway stations and cafes across India, with plans for nationwide systems to modernise the police force and its information gathering and criminal identification processes. — AP

A plan to monitor women’s expressions with facial recognition technology to prevent street harassment in a north Indian city, will lead to intrusive policing and privacy violations, digital rights experts warned on Jan 22.

In Lucknow, about 500 kilometres (310 miles) from the nation’s capital New Delhi, police identified some 200 harassment hotspots that women visit often and where most complaints are reported, said police commissioner D.K. Thakur.