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Kremlin stresses importance of facial recognition system used in Russia

It is important to note that facial recognition technology is widely used currently in the majority of countries in the world, the Kremlin spokesman said

MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stressed the importance of facial recognition systems in the fight against terrorism and crime, commenting on the lawsuit filed by a Moscow resident demanding that facial recognition be considered unlawful.

Moscow resident Alyona Popova has filed a claim to the Savelovsky District Court demanding to rule the face recognition system used by city officials unlawful, her attorney Sarkis Darbinyan informed TASS on Friday. "According to my client, processing images of the citizens’ faces and their biometric data without their written consent violates the law on personal data, as well as their right to privacy stipulated in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Due to this, Popova demands that the introduction of this system be ruled unlawful," he said.

"The case will be considered by the court, and the court will decide," Peskov said. "She [Popova] can address various bodies, it is her right as a citizen," he added.

"However, on the whole, this issue concerns security services. It is important to note that facial recognition technology is widely used currently in the majority of countries in the world. It is a system that has proven itself to be efficient in ensuring security, finding criminals, preventing terrorist attacks," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Earlier, the office of the Moscow mayor informed reporters that since 2017, a large-scale face recognition system has been introduced in the capital, which would help Moscow officials and law enforcement officers to ensure security.