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14h ago

Telangana Researcher Alleges Voter ID Photos Were Repurposed for Facial Recognition as Election Chief Denies Data Sharing

Citing a 2023 state IT presentation plus RTI records, the petitions claim electoral photos powered a statewide face verification system.

A medium-shot photo shows a long line of Indian women, many of them middle-aged, holding up their voter ID cards. The women are in a blurred outdoor setting with a yellow school bus visible in the background. They are wearing traditional Indian clothing in various colors and are waiting to cast their votes.
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Overview

  • Srinivas Kodali filed detailed complaints with the Telangana CEO and the State Election Commission alleging EPIC photographs were reused to build the RTDAI facial-recognition system.
  • He supplied a February 2023 state IT Department presentation and RTI responses as evidence, saying the materials show electoral roll images and details were used for identity checks.
  • The alleged reuse spans services including pensioner selfie life certificates on T App Folio, face-matching in the transport department’s FEST app and DOST college admissions, and a 2020 voter ID pilot in Kompally.
  • Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy denied that voter data was shared outside election officials’ custody, and the CEO’s office told HT the matter was referred to the IT&C department for remarks.
  • Kodali argues such repurposing lacks legal basis under the Representation of the People Act and the Supreme Court’s Puttaswamy ruling, and he seeks deletion of photos from external systems, an independent inquiry, and a written legal justification within 15 days.