FACE RECOGNITION SYSTEM (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: The Centre's decision to deploy 'DNA and Face Matching' systems at 1,300 police stations across the country comes as a recently welcomed development, considering the delayed implementation of the Criminal Procedure Identification Act (CrPI).

Facial Recognition System

• About: Facial recognition is a technology driven by algorithms that generate a digital representation of a person's face by detecting and mapping their facial characteristics.
• Purpose: This system serves the purpose of identifying individuals from images.
• Process: The system starts by receiving a face image or an image sequence as its input.
• It can acquire images in real-time through the use of cameras and sensors.
• Matching and Extraction: The Face Recognition System (FRS) then performs feature extraction and matches it with images stored in a database.

Two Critical Processes

• Verification: This is a 1-to-1 matching system where the individual's biometric data is compared to a reference biometric already on file for authentication.
• Identification: This process involves a 1-to-many matching system, allowing the system to identify unknown individuals or biometrics.

Utilized by Various Countries

• China: The Chinese government has employed this technology to monitor and track Uighurs, a Muslim minority within the country.
• United Kingdom (UK): In 2020, the UK used facial recognition technology to monitor football fans arriving for a match.
• India: Concerns have arisen in India regarding the use of facial recognition technology by the police, particularly during protests.