The upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022, which is scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 20, expects to see over a million viewers across eight stadiums.
Earlier, the event organizers said they would monitor the crowd's behavior using advanced biometric technology. It's a widely-known tool used in other soccer events.
While it's for security purposes, some people think that it's flawed and inaccurate.
Biometric Surveillance to Monitor FIFA Fans
In a report by WIRED on Thursday, November 3, the most anticipated FIFA World Cup this fall expects a massive crowd of millions. To closely monitor the situation, the authorities will need to rely on biometric technology.
Facial recognition systems are no longer new to the sports industry. Spanish team Valencia CF agreed to start using a facial recognition tool back in June 2021. The same goes for another Spain-based squad Atletico Osasuna approved the access of a similar tool to survey the El Sadar Stadium.
Some Valencia CF spectators participated in a pilot project to test the automated access control system. This particular technology makes use of QR code scanning through a mobile app. This will serve as a ticket for the audience who wants to enter the stadium.
Through this technology, organizers could easily detect the identity of every person in and out of the stadium. This heightened security measure is designed to protect the citizens from unwanted visitors who might disrupt the event.
Related Article : FIFA to Leverage Artificial Intelligence for More Accurate Offside Calls During 2022 World Cup
How Reliable is this Biometric Surveillance?
While it's built for improved security, some are concerned about its reliability. Like any device, it's not fail-safe. That's why it's subject to flaws at some point.
For example, the commotion during the 2017 Champions League final in the United Kingdom witnessed how the tool went wrong in detecting the criminals in the event.
When the judges learned that the technology mistakenly considered over 2,000 people as culprits, they immediately banned the use of this system. A year later, the same technology was redeployed.
Another case of false identification involves a 20-year-old fan who was assumed to have disrupted some soccer supporters in select areas. Den Bosch, a Dutch soccer club, mistakenly suspended the involved person but later found out that the smart cameras misidentified the innocent man.
"There's very little credible evidence that even 'traditional' CCTV systems reduce crime; rather, they create an appearance of safety without usually having tangible benefits,"European Digital Rights (EDRi) senior policy adviser Ella Jakubowska noted in a 2021 report.
At present, many biometric systems have been deployed to look after the welfare of the systems. In some far-flung areas, they are used to spy on wildlife animals.
In the case of stadium surveillance, these cameras are becoming commonplace, that's why organizers tend to use them simultaneously, Brett Hutchins, who teaches at Monash University in Australia, said in this research paper entitled "Olympian Surveillance: Sports Stadiums and the Normalization of Biometric Monitoring."
Read Also : Biometric Surveillance in Public Deemed Too Harmful to EU Citizens, EU to Ban Technology
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Written by Joseph Henry
