Events in Moscow to Be Monitored by Facial Recognition Systems

The Directorate of Transport Procurement (DTP) of the Moscow Department of Transport has allocated 38.4 million rubles to purchase 50 devices for facial recognition of participants at mass events. The corresponding tender was discovered by “MBH Media” on the government procurement portal.

According to the procurement documents, these devices are described as “specialized mobile biometric complexes” needed “to improve the efficiency of city services during emergencies and mass events.” The price of each complex ranges from 577,000 to 710,000 rubles. The documentation lists three devices from three different manufacturers:

• BEWARD TRS-FR-200
• MSK-FC-01 (Face Capture)
• VT-1000Face

Manufacturer websites state that these complexes are over two meters tall and equipped with high-resolution cameras at the top. The description for the BEWARD TRS-FR-200 claims, “The system can detect up to 100% of faces in the frame.”

In addition, the DTP is purchasing 50 smartphones and 50 wristbands “to enable incident notifications and remote configuration of the mobile biometric complexes.” Examples of smartphones include rugged, water-resistant models from the following companies:

• AGM
• DOOGEE
• Blackview

The price range for these smartphones is from 15,900 to 18,500 rubles. For wristbands, the procurement suggests buying various generations of Xiaomi fitness bands, costing from 1,800 to 2,200 rubles each.