St. Petersburg Facial Recognition System Mistakes Rock Musician for Wanted Ukrainian Journalist
Russian police in St. Petersburg detained rock musician Dmitry Galyanskikh, frontman of the band Svoboda vazhnee mody, after a facial recognition system incorrectly identified him as Dmytro Gordon, a prominent Ukrainian journalist wanted by Russian authorities. The incident occurred at Moscow Station, where officers approached and detained Galyanskikh, with one officer even checking his hair and stubble for potential disguises. Galyanskikh shared the experience on Telegram, noting the absurdity of being mistaken for a figure labeled a terrorist by the state. He was subsequently released and allowed to continue his journey. Elena Shelikhova, a representative of the Internal Affairs Ministry’s transport directorate, claimed this was the first known error of its kind for the system, attributing the mistake to physical similarities between the two men. Dmytro Gordon, who runs a popular YouTube channel critical of the Russian government, was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison in 2024 on charges including justifying terrorism. This event highlights ongoing concerns regarding the reliability and civil liberty implications of widespread surveillance technology in Russia.
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St. Petersburg Facial Recognition System Mistakes Rock Musician for Wanted Ukrainian Journalist
Russian police in St. Petersburg detained rock musician Dmitry Galyanskikh, frontman of the band Svoboda vazhnee mody, after a facial recognition system incorrectly identified him as Dmytro Gordon, a prominent Ukrainian journalist wanted by Russian authorities. The incident occurred at Moscow Station, where officers approached and detained Galyanskikh, with one officer even checking his hair and stubble for potential disguises. Galyanskikh shared the experience on Telegram, noting the absurdity of being mistaken for a figure labeled a terrorist by the state. He was subsequently released and allowed to continue his journey. Elena Shelikhova, a representative of the Internal Affairs Ministry’s transport directorate, claimed this was the first known error of its kind for the system, attributing the mistake to physical similarities between the two men. Dmytro Gordon, who runs a popular YouTube channel critical of the Russian government, was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison in 2024 on charges including justifying terrorism. This event highlights ongoing concerns regarding the reliability and civil liberty implications of widespread surveillance technology in Russia.
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