There is a tried and effective system of identifying protesters during mass distrubances used by special forces in many countries. It is quite probable that Ukrainian special forces also have the technology of face recognition at their disposal for use on activists on Maidan Nezalezhnosti [Independence Square], European Square, and Hrushevskoho Street in Kiev.
January 24, 2014 pic.com.ua
Translated by Olia Knight
Source: http://www.pic.com.ua/yak-analityky-sylovyh-struktur-identyfikuyut-protestuvalnykiv.html
Namely, the employees of analytical departments at the Ministry of the Interior and the Security Service of Ukraine use the facial search software by Google and other programs to compare photos of people in social networks in order to identify them.
The system works the following way: an analyst at the Interior Ministry or Security Service receives a video of people from Maidan Nezalezhnosti or European Square, which was shot by street security cameras as well as security cameras in restaurants and cafes.
Then, the analyst loads the information and the computer compares the face on video with the face in social networks, granted the “object of investigation” has a presence in social networks.
The problem is that both street and restaurant cameras mentioned above are static and provide poor images that are barely useable for facial recognition.
Therefore, the analyst will instead use the videos of interviews made by reporters who work on the frontlines. During interviews, people do not hide their faces: they want to be understood or recognized by their acquaintances and others. Televised reports are generally in high enough quality for analysts to take a screen shot into their programs and compare the image with images on different social networks.
Afterwards, analytics use fake (often female) names and start getting acquainted with identified individuals. After a couple of innocent sentences the conversation turns to events in downtown Kyiv and gradually to the date and place where a certain person was photographed, and that individual’s real name. Alternatively, a meeting is set. Such meetings usually result either in detention or with bodily harm. The correspondence ends and is carefully documented.
The processing investigator then opens a file on the identified persons using their identified photo and the chat correspondence. Since the information was obtained from mass media, the investigator is within legal rights to open a case for participation in mass disturbances.
In fact, the “laws of dictatorship on the use of helmets and hats” were adopted to have a better visual of protesters. The point is, though, that those laws have been developed under a preplanned clandestine system of punishment.
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