Facial Recognition on Holidays: One Man’s Story of Repeated Detentions
On August 22, Russian Flag Day, several people were detained in the Moscow metro using facial recognition cameras. Here, we share the firsthand account of one of them—Sergey Vyborov. Previously detained at protest rallies, he now finds himself frequently stopped in the metro on holidays.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve been detained through facial recognition. It happened on March 8, May 9 (twice, actually). Every time, it was in the metro: at the station, on the escalator. Once, I was already outside—I managed to reach the bus stop. That incident is the most concerning: does this mean facial recognition is now working outside the metro too? (Editor’s note: most likely, the cameras are at the entrances.)
This time, on Russian Flag Day, I was heading home from work in the Novo-Peredelkino district. At Govorovo station, a police officer jumped into the train car and literally pulled me out by the elbow. As I understand it, they have facial recognition inside the train cars as well.
They didn’t show me any photos, just said I was detained using the facial recognition system. I don’t know how to appeal the use of facial recognition itself.
‘If the detention is under the Code of Administrative Offenses, you can complain about the unjustified use of operational-search measures. Operational-search activities (OSA) cannot be carried out based on information about administrative offenses. OSA can only be used in cases of crimes (see the position of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, for example, rulings from 07/14/1998 No. 86-O and 06/09/2005 No. 327-O),’ comments Ekaterina Abashina, a lawyer from Roskomsvoboda.
On the 22nd, I was taken to the police station in the Moskovsky district. It seemed like they didn’t know what to do with me. I waited for about half an hour, then a female officer took over. It was new for her—she said she had just returned from maternity leave and didn’t quite understand what was happening. In any case, she conducted an interview. The questions were about my phone number, actual address, and even distinguishing marks on my body. I refused to answer, and she didn’t insist. After that, I was released.
Notice, every time I was detained, it was on a holiday. I even started joking with the police, asking if they had a calendar so I could be prepared. For example, on June 12, I was out late, but no one bothered me. Apparently, the system is only turned on at certain times. In general, holidays are a potential risk.
I believe that in the totalitarian state we live in, the facial recognition system is an absolute evil. Laws should strictly regulate its use and prevent abuse. For now, I am completely against the use of this technology.”
Read More Stories from Our BanCam Campaign
Check out other stories from our campaign for a moratorium on facial recognition systems, including those of politician and activist Leonid Gozman, municipal deputy Yulia Shcherbakova, housing activist Mikhail Shulman, historian Sergey Galeev, our reader Sergey Mezhuyev (who was detained due to a system error), and others.
Our position remains unchanged: Until the video surveillance system becomes transparent, accountable, and guarantees protection against such abuses, facial recognition technology should not be used. This case highlights a gap in the legal framework.