Farukh Farajullayev, director of the commercial department of "AzInTelecom" LLC, which belongs to the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, declared this week that integration of the payment system using facial recognition technology has begun in cooperation with "Azerbaijan Railways" JSC. He noted that negotiations are underway for implementing the payment system with facial recognition technology in the Baku Metro, and the possibilities of applying this mechanism are being discussed. According to F. Farajullayev, such a system's application in surface transportation—buses—is associated with several difficulties such as weather conditions, lighting, camera quality, and other technical factors; therefore, trials need to be conducted first, and then a final decision can be made.
Medianews.az website conducted an interview with Elvin Abbasov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Information and Communication Technologies Industry Association, regarding this matter.
- Is there currently any payment with facial recognition in any sector in Azerbaijan?
- Yes, currently in Azerbaijan, payment systems with facial recognition are applied in limited areas. For example, the SIMA Pay system supports "Face ID" technology and carried out its first successful trials at two turnstiles of "Azerbaijan Railways." In addition, pilot projects by banks and some technology companies exist. It has not yet entered mass use; more often, "Face ID" is observed for login and transaction confirmation in mobile applications.
- Is it really necessary to have payment by facial recognition? What creates this necessity?
- The necessity for payment by facial recognition mainly arises from factors such as speed, convenience, and security. The increase of cashless payments, minimizing contact, and the ability to shop without carrying a card or phone raise people's interest in this technology. For example, in metro turnstiles or fast retail points of sale, time savings and a more convenient payment experience are provided.
- The system recognized the face, but where will the money come from?
- The facial recognition system only plays the role of identification, that is, it confirms the person's identity. Payment is carried out from the user's previously linked electronic wallets. In other words, biometric identification is only to confirm the payment; the money is withdrawn from the electronic wallet.
- Does payment by facial recognition pose problems from the human rights perspective?
- Yes, here the main problem relates to the protection of personal data. Biometric data—face images and other identification parameters—belong to the category of sensitive data. If this data is not properly protected, misuse and privacy violations can occur. Therefore, strong legislation, transparency principles, and mechanisms for protecting personal data must definitely be ensured.
Nailə Qasımova,
Medianews.az
Note: The article was prepared on the topic "Protection of Public and State Interests" with the financial support of the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in accordance with the competition terms.
