According to Algorithmwatch’s investigation, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) purchases facial recognition systems from a Russian company that, under Russian legislation, is obligated to cooperate with security services. “Georgian Dream” has been actively using surveillance technologies against protests since the end of 2024, the incompatibility of which with human rights GYLA has repeatedly highlighted, - this is stated in the statement released by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) regarding Algorithmwatch’s investigation into facial recognition surveillance cameras.

As GYLA writes in the statement, the investigation published by Algorithmwatch raises additional questions regarding the protection of citizens’ rights and their security.

“Algorithmwatch is a reputable international civil society organization based in Germany that works on issues of compliance of artificial intelligence and algorithms with human rights and justice. According to the investigation published by the organization, since 2013 the Georgian MIA has been purchasing facial recognition systems from the Russian company Papillon AO. According to the organization, Papillon AO is sanctioned by Ukraine, Switzerland, Japan, and the USA. Its products are mainly used by Russia and its allied states, and under Russian legislation, it is obligated to cooperate with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

According to the organization, the surveillance system has been updated five times over the past eleven years, with the latest license received in October 2024. The most recent update purchased by the MIA, Polyface 3.7.0, was delivered to the ministry in early June 2025. Polyface is based on a deep learning recognition algorithm developed by 3DiVi, a Russian artificial intelligence company based in Novosibirsk and funded by a Russian state venture fund.

The publication notes that, according to the tender documentation, the ministry directly requested licenses for an unlimited number of operators. Previously, until 2025, the system supported a maximum of 30 operators working simultaneously. This change indicates the ministry’s growing need to control larger-scale protest actions.

According to Algorithmwatch, the system uses a unified database for face identification, which provides access to photos stored in the civil registry. The program can also compare faces with pre-uploaded photos, including images obtained from social media and other external sources. According to the publication, the ministry requested this function in 2024, which indicates that surveillance using data from various platforms was one of the system’s intended functions,” the information released by GYLA states.

According to their assessment, “the use of such technologies against peaceful protests, in the absence of sufficient information about their characteristics and the lack of legislative guarantees for the protection of human rights, clearly serves to suppress protests, punish people for exercising their freedom of assembly, and create a chilling effect in society.”

The organization states that instead of pursuing demonstrators and detaining them for peacefully standing on the sidewalk, “the state should take steps, including the MIA providing explanations regarding the information published by Algorithmwatch.”

“The investigation published by Algorithmwatch further deepens the already existing concerns about targeted and illegitimate surveillance of participants in peaceful protests. In addition to the gross violation of the right to privacy, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression by the state, the information published by the organization points to the risk of sensitive data falling into the hands of the occupying state,” the GYLA statement reads.