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The Hindu
The Hindu
National
Special Correspondent

Telangana State Election Commission successfully tests facial recognition technique

A Telangana State Election Commission official authenticates a voter using a facial recognition app at a poll booth in the State’s Kompally Municipality on January 22, 2020. (Source: Nagara Gopal)

The Telangana State Election Commission on Wednesday successfully tested the facial recognition application for voter verification at polling stations using real time authentication capabilities.

The application using latest technologies like artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning was uploaded in mobile phones and tested in 10 polling stations for urban local body elections in Kompally Municipality.

According to SEC officials, testing of the application became necessary in view of the cases of impersonation in the voting process, as could be seen from the request for tendered votes coming up with every passing election.

Delhi Police using facial recognition system to identify protesters 

An analysis of the tendered votes during the previous elections to the local bodies revealed that there was violation in voting procedure leading to conduct of re-poll in these areas. The Commission said there was likelihood of more number of impersonation cases but they did not come to the notice of the SEC. In view of this, it was decided to test the application on a pilot basis in some of the polling stations.

The application, the SEC averred, was only an additional aid to personnel on election duties and not in lieu of the existing identification systems.

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