Massive Advancement in Illegal Activity Tracking: NATGRID Now Has 105 Crore Entries of Facial Data | EXCLUSIVE

A senior official informed News18 that the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has completed an enormous task: it currently has data on over 105 crore face records, or around 80% of India’s population (assuming there are no duplicate entries).

According to sources, even when people were wearing masks, data from the Covid-19 epidemic was recorded for the face entry. It is astonishing how quickly and effectively the algorithm can retrieve and match disguised face data.

A senior NATGRID official emphasized the importance of this massive amount of data when discussing its application in tracing people whom the law enforcement authorities are looking for. The official emphasized that those wearing masks are included in the database, making it possible for the system to recognize and follow them.

The official clarified that NATGRID has Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with many government organizations, such as the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the Income Tax department, and police agencies, regarding the collection and source of data. Furthermore, the information was obtained from several airport departments.

Concurrently, the Union administration is leading the creation of an extensive national database to track unlawful operations including money laundering, terrorist funding, the circulation of counterfeit currency, drug trafficking, bomb threats, and illegal weapons smuggling.

This program is an example of a deliberate attempt to use information technology and data analytics to restructure security services’ operating procedures.

The use of cutting-edge technology in intelligence collection and analysis represents a significant shift toward proactive and focused methods of addressing security concerns.

Through the integration of extensive data from several sources, NATGRID and its partner agencies may improve their capacity to anticipate and counteract a range of criminal and terrorist operations.

The effectiveness of these programs will depend on ongoing adaptation and improvement to keep ahead of new risks and difficulties as technology continues to progress.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already instructed the authorities to utilize the system with prudence and discretion and to make sure it is used for the proper purposes solely with regard to the data in issue. He continued, saying that they should also make sure that the system’s data is used as much as possible to increase their productivity.

Shah has pledged that all required procedures have been put in place to guarantee that no unauthorized person will ever have access to a citizen’s personal information via this system, since privacy and data security are significant issues.

Eleven central agencies as well as the police in every state and Union territory will have access to the NATGRID system. It will establish a connection between user agencies and data holders, enabling them to get real-time data required for intelligence operations and inquiries. For the development of the NATGRID solution, C-DAC Pune has been enlisted as a technical partner and IIT-Bhilai as a plan management consultant.