Ukrainian officials are using facial recognition software from the United States to identify captured or dead Russian soldiers since the Russian invasion began 50 days ago.
The country’s volunteer IT army has run over 8,600 searches using the U.S.-based Clearview AI software to notify the family members of the deaths of 582 Russian soldiers and send images of the dead bodies. The Ukrainians who use the software said it was an effective way to trigger dissent within Russia and end the war more quickly, according to the Washington Post.
But the psychological warfare could backfire and escalate tension in Russia among grieving mothers, critics warn.
“If it were Russian soldiers doing this with Ukrainian mothers, we might say, ‘Oh, my God, that’s barbaric,’” Stephanie Hare, a London surveillance researcher, said. “And is it actually working? Or is it making them say: ‘Look at these lawless, cruel Ukrainians, doing this to our boys?’”
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Roughly 340 Ukrainian government officials across five government agencies are now using the software, which began in the U.S. as a way for law enforcement to track down suspects by scanning images of their faces, Clearview’s CEO, Hoan Ton-That, said.
The software is also used at security checkpoints to identify Russian spies or extremists, according to Ton-That, who said he hopes the software will serve as a deterrent for Russians who would otherwise commit war crimes.
Ton-That said he offered the company’s services last month after he saw Russian propaganda that alleged the images of dead soldiers were actually actors or frauds instead of people killed in the war.
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Skeptics have warned that the technology is imperfect and could lead to wrong identifications.
Tens of thousands of people have died, and millions have fled Ukraine due to the war, according to recent estimates.
