300,000 CCTVs in Moscow: Crime Drops, But at a 'Heavy Price'

The U.S. daily The New York Times reported that while the introduction of advanced technologies such as CCTV connected to biometric systems has sharply reduced crime and made life more convenient in the Russian capital of Moscow, it has come at a heavy price of severe restrictions on freedom and human rights due to the expansion of a surveillance state.

According to The New York Times on the 14th (local time), approximately 300,000 CCTV cameras are installed throughout Moscow.

The security operations utilizing this powerful digital infrastructure built by the city of Moscow have transformed Moscow from a city plagued by violent crimes such as robbery, pickpocketing, and murder 25 years ago into a safe city.

Convenience in daily life has also greatly improved.

Citizens can handle tasks ranging from paying subway fares to signing apartment sales contracts using only facial recognition.

Delivery robots are bustling through the streets, and autonomous taxis are scheduled to begin commercial operations within this year.

However, The New York Times pointed out that behind this convenience and safety lies the cost of an expanding surveillance state.

While many other major European cities are equipped with large-scale CCTV networks, Moscow's system is far more centralized, less regulated, and identifies individuals through extensive biometrics.

The dense CCTV network linked to a biometric database has made Moscow one of the cities in the world that most closely monitors its citizens.

Walking down the city streets, it is virtually impossible to avoid the gaze of the cameras.

In Russia, providing biometric information is formally voluntary, but participation is heavily encouraged, and without agreeing to provide data, it is difficult to use various digital services.

Cameras that allow citizens to quickly pass through subway turnstiles are also utilized to monitor and identify them.

Authorities utilize biometric databases not only to crack down on crime but also to track anti-government figures who participate in rallies.

In April last year, a Russian rock musician was arrested by police at a railway station in St. Petersburg on the grounds that he resembled a wanted Ukrainian individual.

The police checked his face and pulled his hair to see if it was a wig before finally releasing him.

As the war in Ukraine prolongs, Russia's high-tech-based surveillance network has been further strengthened, The New York Times reported.

After thousands of Russians fled to avoid conscription in 2022, authorities introduced artificial intelligence-based electronic conscription notices that carry the same legal effect as traditional paper documents.

During the era of paper documents, it was relatively easy to evade enlistment, but under the current AI-based system, escaping is nearly impossible.

Recently, as rumors spread that a large-scale mobilization order was imminent, men of conscription age have been living in fear.

Last March, a photographer named Vlad received a notice to attend a mandatory physical examination through a government portal app, and discovered that he was subject to a travel ban only after responding to it.

Refusing to attend and stating that he no longer rides the subway out of fear of closed-circuit television cameras, Vlad told The New York Times, "Complete control is achieved because all data is handed over, and every step can be tracked."

(Photo: Getty Images Korea)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.