Dubai introduces facial recognition on public transport

Dubai is introducing a facial recognition system on public transport to beef up safety, officers mentioned Sunday, because the emirate prepares to host the worldwide Expo exhibition.

“This know-how has confirmed its effectiveness to establish suspicious and wished folks,” mentioned Obaid al-Hathboor, director of Dubai’s Transport Safety Division.

The emirate already operates a biometric system utilizing facial recognition at its worldwide airport.

Dubai, which sees itself as a number one “smart city” within the Center East, has ambitions to turn out to be a hub for know-how and synthetic intelligence.

Each sectors might be on present when it opens the multi-billion-dollar Expo honest.

“We aspire to boost our efficiency by constructing on our present capabilities, to make sure a excessive stage of safety in metro stations and different transport sectors,” mentioned Hathboor.

Earlier this week, below the watch of Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, town’s police used facial recognition in a simulated situation to establish gunmen launching an assault on a metro station.

A particular police unit, educated in the USA, helped “evacuate” commuters from the station within the mock assault, earlier than working in tandem with a management centre to apprehend the suspects.

Members of the particular unit might be despatched to main metro stations throughout Expo 2020.

The six-month occasion was delayed by one 12 months attributable to coronavirus, and is now set to open in October 2021.

It was anticipated to draw 15 million guests earlier than the worldwide economic system and transport programs had been disrupted by the pandemic.

Jamal Rashed, of Dubai Police’s Transport Safety Division, mentioned the facial recognition know-how might be rolled out within the coming months in all metro stations.

Different know-how already in use to fight the unfold of the coronavirus, resembling helmets with thermal cameras and good glasses, may even be used to establish and handle giant crowds.

“It took no less than 5 hours to establish a suspect earlier than,” mentioned Rashed. “With this know-how, it takes lower than a minute.”

However whereas the know-how to establish people has simplified lives, resembling getting used for unlocking telephones, it has additionally raised considerations over privateness.

Berlin-based advocacy group AlgorithmWatch says that no less than 10 European police forces use facial recognition technology—a pattern that privateness and rights teams are involved about.

China has additionally been criticised for the facial recognition programs in its public surveillance community.

© 2020 AFP