Moscow authorities are using the city’s video surveillance system with facial recognition technology to track down and detain draftees seeking to evade mobilization for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
BBC Russian and some Telegram channels reported that at least seven men have been detained over the past month by law enforcement officers after the city’s facial recognition system flagged them to the police as “draft dodgers.” Following their detention, the men were brought to a police station and then a military enlistment office. While some were released as they were not eligible for the draft, at least two were told to go to the front line.
Russian law does not meaningfully restrict the use of facial recognition technology, so there’s little to prevent misuse and few, if any, protections for those under surveillance.