Dead Russians Identified with Controversial Artificial Intelligence for Calls to Relatives Ukraine
04/16/2022, 11:09 am
Ukraine relies on improvisation and innovation in the war against Russian troops. With facial recognition software, the Kremlin’s propaganda about the death toll must be refuted and the Russian population must be enlightened. Critics see it as an instrument of psychological warfare.
In the Russian war of aggression, Ukraine resorts to modern and sometimes controversial methods. In the first 50 days of the war, Ukrainian authorities used Clearview AI software to scan more than 8,600 dead or captured Russian soldiers to identify them and contact their families. This emerges from a Washington Post report. While Ukraine sees it as a tool to expose Russian propaganda, critics see it as a dangerous tool of psychological warfare.
Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That told the paper that more than 340 employees across five Ukrainian government agencies can now conduct facial recognition surveys for free using their program. The team would also hold weekly training sessions with Ukrainian police and military officials. The company first offered its services to Ukraine last month, according to Ton-That, after Russia claimed the captured soldiers were actors or coup plotters.
Locate saboteurs and looters
According to the report, facial recognition software is not just used for dead soldiers. Clearview AI is also used at border crossings to detect potential Russian saboteurs. In addition, facial recognition would also be used for security recordings. In this way, soldiers responsible for war crimes and looting can be identified.
Clearview software is based on a huge database that is powered by social media networks and publicly accessible websites. The image database alone contains 20 billion photos. In the case of the war in Ukraine, some of the information comes from Facebook’s Russian counterpart, VK. With a single face scan via mobile app, family photos, social media posts and relationship details can be collected. However, the software is not considered error free.
Ukraine sent hundreds of families photos of dead soldiers through contact tracing. However, informing family members can also be understood differently. The Ukrainian truth about the war contrasts with the humiliation and intimidation of opposing soldiers. Western solidarity with Ukraine makes it tempting to support such a radical act aimed at capitalizing on the families’ grief, surveillance expert Stephanie Hare told the Washington Post. Contacting soldiers’ parents is “classic psychological warfare” and can set a dangerous new pattern for future conflicts.
Does Clearview have interests of its own?
Additionally, according to Hare, Clearview AI is interested in using its work in Ukraine to promote itself to government clients around the world and “capitalize on the tragedy.” Clearview boss Ton-That told the paper that the company’s sole objective is to help defend a besieged country. But he conceded that the war helped teach parts of the US government the utility of software.
The spread of facial recognition technology has been met with increasing criticism in recent years. The company Clearview AI also contributed to this, compiling a huge database based on publicly available photos from online networks and services like Instagram. So far, Clearview AI has only offered its services to police and other security agencies.
However, their data collection methods have raised concerns about the technology’s uncontrolled spread. Facebook and other services are trying to stop mass image downloads. However, companies like Clearview have repeatedly managed to circumvent the measures. Thus, the US Congress in April 2021 imposed a freeze on government funding for the company.