In January, South Korea will begin testing an AI-powered facial recognition system to track persons infected with COVID-19. The test will take place in Bucheon, one of the country's most densely populated cities the nation's capital Seoul and Incheon.
According to Reuters, the system uses an AI algorithms and facial recognition technology to analyze footage gathered by nearly 11,000 CCTV cameras and track an infected person’s movements, anyone they had close contact with, and whether they were wearing a mask.
The national government has invested 1.6 billion won ($1.3 million) into the project, while Bucheon added 500 million won more from the city's coffers.
The article noted that the project will help reduce the strain on overworked tracing teams, but while there has been broad public support for existing invasive track and trace methods, human rights advocates and some South Korean lawmakers have expressed concerns that the government will retain and harness such data far beyond the needs of the pandemic.
According to officials, as the system can simultaneously track up to ten people in five to ten minutes, it can cut the time spent on manual work which usually takes around half an hour or more per person traced. Bucheon mayor Jang Deog-cheon was also quoted as saying that facial recognition tech will enable faster tracing. The pilot plans call for a team of about ten staff at one public health center to use the AI-powered recognition system.
Despite employing an "aggressive, high-tech" contact tracing system that collects credit card records, cellphone location, and CCTV footage, among other personal information, South Korea still relies on epidemiological investigators who usually work a 24-hour shift, the report noted.
As for the privacy concerns, a city official explained that the system censors non-target individuals; it only traces confirmed patients, abiding with provisions under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the use of the technology remains lawful as long as it is used within the domain of the said law.
Still, some lawmakers are concerned.
"The government's plan to become a Big Brother on the pretext of COVID is a neo-totalitarian idea," Park Dae-chul, a lawmaker from the main opposition People Power Party, told Reuters.
"It is absolutely wrong to monitor and control the public via CCTV using taxpayers' money and without the consent from the public," said Park, who provided the city plan to Reuters.
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