Backed by artificial intelligence, Indian Railways is planning to enhance its security with the use of facial recognition technology.
“CCTNS is the criminal database of Indian security agencies and we are planning to connect {it} with our FRS database through a bridge software” – an RPF official.
This AI will help to identify criminals and suspects at railway stations where passengers are vulnerable to theft and much more serious crimes as human trafficking and terrorism. After 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, RPF drafted a comprehensive, integrated security plan and RPF’s Director-General Arun Kumar said, “We identified 200 railway stations for a security overhaul”.
Facial recognition technology was first launched at the Bengaluru airport in July and tested in the Hyderabad airport. But human rights groups are calling it potential privacy violations and increased surveillance.
The system was also tested around 6-7 years ago, but it was not very efficient. The systems were not accustomed to handling the kind of throughput Indian rail stations would require. The system will be able to identify a criminal even if his photo in the database is 10 years old.
The system is also being trained to recognize suspicious behavior to stay a step ahead of the miscreants. The next wave will include metros such as Delhi and Mumbai, before expanding to the suburban rail network of Chennai, and Kolkata.
