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Investigative journalism piece based on leaked documents, relevant to AI governance discussions about misuse of AI capabilities by state actors for political repression and mass surveillance.

Metadata

Importance: 62/100news articlenews

Summary

Leaked Kremlin documents reveal Russia's large-scale AI-powered facial recognition surveillance system, developed with NtechLab, targeting 'disloyal and destructive' individuals. The system was used to arrest attendees at Alexei Navalny's funeral and was previously tested on football fans during the 2018 World Cup, demonstrating how authoritarian regimes can weaponize AI surveillance against political dissidents.

Key Points

  • •Leaked documents show Putin's regime funding a massive AI facial recognition network to identify and track politically 'disloyal and destructive' individuals
  • •The surveillance system was operationally deployed to arrest mourners attending Alexei Navalny's funeral in 2024
  • •NtechLab, a Russian AI company, is central to building the surveillance infrastructure, with apparent Kremlin backing
  • •The 2018 FIFA World Cup served as an early large-scale test environment for the facial recognition technology
  • •This case illustrates the acute risks of AI-enabled authoritarian control and suppression of political opposition

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AI Surveillance and Regime Durability ModelAnalysis64.0

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Kremlin Leaks: How Putin’s Regime is Building AI Surveillance Operations - VSquare.org 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 

 
 


 
 
 
 
 #RUSSIAN INFLUENCE 
 
 
 
 Kremlin Leaks: How Putin’s Regime is Building AI Surveillance Operations


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Mattias Carlson (Expressen) 
Martin Laine, Holger Roonemaa (Delfi Estonia)
Anna Gielewska, Anastasiia Morozova (VSquare, Frontstory.pl)
Hannes Munzinger, Carina Huppertz (Paper Trail Media)

Illustration: Mart Nigola (Delfi Estonia) 
 
 2024-03-27 

 
 
 Investigations 
 
 
 
 Our Investigations 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mattias Carlson (Expressen) 
Martin Laine, Holger Roonemaa (Delfi Estonia)
Anna Gielewska, Anastasiia Morozova (VSquare, Frontstory.pl)
Hannes Munzinger, Carina Huppertz (Paper Trail Media)

Illustration: Mart Nigola (Delfi Estonia) 
 
 2024-03-27 

 
 
 Investigations 
 
 
 Our Investigations 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Leaked documents from the Kremlin reveal Vladimir Putin’s regime is funding a massive AI-powered surveillance operation: facial recognition helps the Kremlin to look for “disloyal and destructive” individuals. This system was used to arrest people attending Alexei Navalny’s funeral, and was previously tested on football fans during the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

 
 
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 Vladimir Putin, shortly after declaring himself the winner of the Russian presidential election, called on the Russian security services to intensify the hunt for traitors.  

 Previously in our Kremlin Leaks investigation, we worked with our international partners to reveal how the Kremlin pre-rigged Vladimir Putin’s re-election; funds an information war targeting Russian society; and exerts control over the internet, broadcast media outlets and social media platforms in the occupied territories in Ukraine. The Russian presidential administration has used hundreds of millions of euros for funding these propaganda projects and political operations. 

 Now, documents from the same Kremlin Leaks analyzed by our team expose how the Russian administration is funding a massive AI-based surveillance apparatus that can effectively track citizens in real-time, recording their every move and mood. The system connects cameras installed in public spaces to a center for “processing video feeds.” So far, these cameras cover some 40 Russian cities, the head of the Russian state-owned Rostec company said in August 2023. A few months later, in October 2023, NtechLab’s CEO announced that their facial recognition system is functioning in 60 Russian regions, up from only five in 2021. In Moscow, where the system is up and operational, and most widespread, hundreds of thousands of cameras are in the metro system, roads, and residential buildings

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