Russian police reportedly begin testing compact face recognition cameras

Russia’s Internal Affairs Ministry has begun testing cameras with facial recognition capabilities, Vedomosti reported. The devices were developed by NtechLab, which also created an algorithm called FindFace that generated controversy in Russia after it was used to recognize users’ social media photos. A representative for the company confirmed that it had created a new facial recognition gadget for Russia’s law enforcement agencies but denied that the Internal Affairs Ministry was involved in testing. The representative said tests were being conducted in collaboration with private security companies.

The device reportedly looks like a small walkie-talkie and is capable of analyzing a video feed between 3.5 and 4.5 meters away. It relays data to a server, where the video feed is compared to an existing facial recognition database. One of Vedomosti’s sources in the Internal Affairs Ministry said the technology may be integrated into cameras police already use if testing proves successful. The ministry did not comment on the matter officially.