South Korea tests AI-powered facial recognition system to track COVID-19 cases

South Korea will soon launch a pilot project that uses artificial intelligence, facial recognition and thousands of CCTV cameras to track the movements of people infected with the coronavirus, despite concerns about  privacy. 
 

In Bucheon, one of Seoul's most populous suburbs, a government project is due to begin work in January, a city spokesperson told Reuters. 
 

The system uses artificial intelligence algorithms and facial recognition technology to analyze video collected from more than 10,820 CCTV cameras and track the movements of anyone in close contact with an infected person and whether they are wearing a mask. On page 110. The city plan was submitted to the Ministry of Science and ICT, and then submitted to Reuters by lawmakers criticizing the project. 4,444 governments around the world have expanded their new technologies and  legal powers to stop the wave of COVID-19 infection. According to a March report from New York's Columbia Law School, several states in China, Russia, India, Poland, Japan and the United States have governments deployed or at least tested facial recognition systems to track COVID-19 patients. 
 

Bucheon City officials said the system will help reduce the burden of overburdened tracking teams in cities with a population of 800,000 or more  and  use the teams more efficiently and accurately. South Korea already has an aggressive, advanced contact tracking system that collects credit card records, cell phone location data, CCTV footage and  other personal information. 
 

However, he still relies on many epidemiological investigators, who often work 24 hours a day to  frantically track and contact potential coronavirus cases. Chan Deok-cheon, Mayor of Bucheon, argued that such a system would speed up tracking in a state-funded bid for a pilot project at the end of 2020. 

" Sometimes it takes hours to analyze a single video surveillance frame. "Using visual recognition technology, we can do this analysis right away," he tweeted. The system is also designed to overcome the fact that tracking teams have to rely heavily on the testimony of COVID-19 patients who are not always true to their testimony. 
 

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning has announced that it does not currently plan to expand this project to the national level. The purpose of the system is to digitize some of the physical labor currently carried out by contact tracers, he said. The Bucheon system can  track up to 10 people at the same time in 5 to 10 minutes, reducing the time required for manual labor, which takes 30 minutes to an hour to find one, the plan said. 

The pilot plan would require a team of 10 employees at a public health center to use the AI-based recognition system, officials said. 
 

Bucheon City received 1.6 billion won  from the Ministry of Science and ICT and invested 500 million won from the city budget to promote the system project, a Bucheon official said. 
 

'BIG BROTHER' 
 

Despite widespread public support for existing intrusion tracking and tracking methods, human rights activists and some South Korean lawmakers have expressed concern that the government will store and use such data  beyond the needs of the pandemic.  "The government's plan to become  Big Brother under the guise of Corona is a neo-totalitarian idea," said Park De-cheol, a member of the  main opposition Minjung Party, in an interview with Reuters. “It is completely wrong to use video surveillance to track and monitor people without the consent of the people, using taxpayer money,” said Park, who provided  city planning to  Reuters.
 

Bucheon City official said, "There is no concern about invasion of privacy  because the system mosaics everyone's face, not the subject." An official from  told Reuters, "There is no privacy concern because the system tracks confirmed patients in accordance with the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act." “The contact tracking tool complies with these rules, so there is no risk of data breach or invasion of privacy.” Regulation requires patients to consent to the use of facial tracking, but even if they do not consent, the system can still track patients by silhouette and clothing, officials said. 
 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (KDCA) has stated that these technologies are legal as long as they are used under the Disease Control and Prevention Act. The AI-powered facial recognition test plan emerged as it experimented with other uses of the controversial technology in kindergartens, from detecting child abuse  to providing police protection.