Seen and silenced: How Russian surveillance software suppresses Georgian civilians rights

September 1, 2026

The Georgian government has deployed a comprehensive facial recognition surveillance system called Polyface, purchased from Moscow-based company Papillon AO with ties to Russian security services, to systematically identify and penalize protesters demonstrating against alleged election fraud and EU accession suspension. The system uses AI-enabled cameras and deep learning algorithms to identify demonstrators even when masked or partially hidden, matching faces against government databases and social media sources. Protesters identified by the system receive substantial fines months after attending demonstrations, with authorities freezing bank accounts and seizing crowdfunding accounts established to help pay penalties.

Who is affected

Georgian protesters and demonstrators opposing the ruling Georgian Dream party
Specific individuals named: Nino (protester in her 40s who received a 5,000 GEL fine), Elene (protester), Levani (Elene's friend captured on camera), Tamuna (22-year-old student protester), and Luka (winemaker who still attends protests)
Teachers, musicians, athletes, and doctors who organized thematic protests
At least 486 people detained in November-December 2024
282 victims of documented physical abuse by police
Protesters who collectively received at least 2 million GEL in fines by March 2025
Georgian citizens broadly (86 percent supported EU accession)
Activist crowdfunding organizations whose accounts were seized

What action is being taken

The Georgian government is operating the Polyface facial recognition system to identify demonstrators at protests
Authorities are imposing fines on identified protesters (amounts ranging from 500 to 5,000 GEL)
The government is freezing bank accounts of protesters who cannot pay fines
Authorities are seizing crowdfunding accounts established to help pay penalties
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is expanding facial recognition capabilities through procurement
Police are using water cannons and rubber bullets on demonstrators
Hundreds to thousands of protesters continue gathering at Rustaveli every evening despite surveillance
The system is continuously scanning live camera feeds, running automated identification, operator-directed searches, and watchlist alerts

Why it matters

This represents a significant threat to democratic freedoms and constitutional rights in an EU candidate country. The surveillance system, procured from a Russian company with security service ties in a country that occupies 20 percent of Georgian territory, poses national security risks including potential intelligence profiling and integrity attacks where Russia could manipulate the system to ignore hostile agents while mapping Georgia's power structure. The technology has effectively abolished constitutionally guaranteed freedom of assembly, creating a chilling effect that physical force alone could not achieve—protesters now understand that attendance creates permanent searchable records reconstructing their entire protest history. This has broader implications for how authoritarian-leaning governments can use advanced surveillance technology to suppress dissent while maintaining a veneer of legality through administrative and criminal penalties rather than overt violence.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices