New UPSC regulation regarding the picture on the application form addresses photo fraud caused by AI

NEW DELHI: This week, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) began accepting registrations for the UPSC CSE Prelims 2024, which will take place in May. More stringent guidelines for adding photos to the registration forms have been implemented by the Commission. The UPSC has requested that applicants post photos that are no more than ten days old from the beginning of the online application process in accordance with the revised criteria.

Consequently, it will be incumbent upon applicants to ensure that the photos are not shot prior to February 4, 2024.
Although some candidates find the regulation confusing and believe it to be an excessively drawn-out and costly procedure, experts assert that it will prevent technological abuse and associated frauds throughout the examination process. The state has filed many charges against candidates in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for offenses using technology and impersonation.
According to JK Dadoo, a retired senior IAS official, this endeavor would prevent the improper usage of emerging technology like artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial Intelligence has the potential to alter papers and photos, which might provide significant difficulties for public review. It is challenging to identify between photos of applicants on various forms and to compare them to the applicants who will be taking the test. AI and new technologies may readily alter papers and photos. The identification-related issues would be substantially alleviated with the new UPSC standards, according to Dadoo.
“A number of instances when candidates juxtaposed their photos have surfaced. The issues are growing every day with the advent of technologies like deepfake and AI. A significant issue the Commission is dealing with is identity concerns. The applicant must provide a picture that was taken within ten days of the online application process beginning, per the updated guidelines. The candidates will find it more difficult to falsify the application data as a result. The new approach could be costly, particularly for candidates from remote places, but it will guarantee accuracy of identification and streamline subsequent processes, says Dadoo.
Numerous complaints of impersonation have been filed with UPSC and state PSCs, citing differences in the photos of the candidates sitting for the test and those on the admission card. “The younger sibling’s picture is often on the admission card, and the elder brother shows up for the test. Dadoo states, “The new directives will simply eliminate such possibilities.”
Doing business is easy.
Senior IAS “The new initiative will just ease the process of doing business,” states Rajesh Kumar Pathak, secretary of the Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Development Board. Cross-referencing the candidate’s age and attractiveness will also be helpful since older images are often uploaded. Examiners often find themselves faced with a dilemma during the Personality Test when they discover that the applicant doesn’t look anything like the picture he supplied while registering.
The new approach will improve transparency and curb impersonation, but it will provide some challenges for the candidates. Additionally, applicants won’t have any problems at all during the test thanks to the new technology. Candidates from rural regions shouldn’t have any trouble since there are amenities wherever you look, according to Pathak.
According to the Commission, the picture must also prominently include the candidate’s name and the date of the photo shoot. The official announcement said that the candidates’ faces should take up three-fourths of the image.
The applicants must ensure that their appearance matches their photos at all examination stages, including the written Mains, interview, and personality test, according to the Commission. For example, if an applicant uploads a picture of himself with a beard, he must present in the preliminary, written mains, and interview/personality test looking exactly the same. The same would apply to mustaches, glasses, etc.
Applying online att upsc.gov.in  candidates may apply for the Civil Service Examination = Preliminary 2024, which will fill around 1,056 positions. Those who do better than the minimum required on the CSE preliminary test will be able to register for the main exam. The detailed mains will take place over five days starting on September 20.