One lakh cameras are watching in Moscow

A vast and contentious network of facial recognition cameras keeping watch over Moscow is now playing a key role in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus in Russia. The city rolled out the technology just before the epidemic reached Russia, ignoring protests and legal complaints over sophisticated state surveillance. "We are constantly checking that this regulation is being observed, including through the use of automated facial recognition systems," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote in his blog in February. Around 100,000 have now been linked to artificial intelligence systems that can identify people being filmed. Moscow police said last week that the cameras that are linked have allowed them to identify almost 200 people who broke quarantine rules.