Authoritarians love smart cities. Russia is no exception
Authoritarians love smart cities projects.
Vladimir Putin is no exception. Moscow has been on a mission to become a smart city for the last decade. Russia’s capital has around 200,000 surveillance cameras. That's more cameras per square mile than in Beijing or New York. In October 2021, the Moscow Metro launched a facial recognition payment system. Branded as a quick, contactless way of paying ride fares, it was also used for surveillance. Since September 2020, almost 3,000 criminals have been caught in the Moscow Metro because of the system, according to city authorities. But the extreme crackdown on dissent triggered by the war in Ukraine makes Moscow's technological advances terrifying for anyone who opposes the government.
Since the start of war in Ukraine, speaking out against the government has become incredibly risky for the Russians. Over 15,000 people have been detained for protesting and anyone who does as little as sharing a social media post that contradicts the official position risks a 15-year prison sentence.
FacePay, which has worried digital rights activists, could make the whole of the city especially dangerous for those who oppose the invasion of Ukraine. There is a precedent: a few months prior in February participants of mass protests in support of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny were being arrested in the underground and in their own homes. Authorities accessed their data through the citywide facial recognition system.