📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Pete Woodhead
Technology
India’s Criminal Laws Lack Rules on Facial Recognition, Three Amendments Proposed
✍️ ThePrint
🗓 09 Oct 2026, 10:53 AM
👁 17
A recent analysis by ThePrint highlights that India’s existing criminal codes do not contain any provisions governing the use of facial recognition technology. The report suggests three specific legislative amendments to address this gap.
ThePrint’s report notes that key criminal statutes such as the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure currently lack any explicit rules governing facial recognition technology.
This absence creates a regulatory vacuum that allows law enforcement agencies and private actors to deploy the technology without clear legal constraints, raising concerns about privacy infringement and potential misuse.
According to the analysis, introducing three targeted amendments to the existing criminal framework could bring facial recognition under defined legal oversight and accountability.
The report urges legislators to consider these changes promptly, so that the benefits of the technology can be harnessed while safeguarding civil liberties until formal rules are put in place.
This absence creates a regulatory vacuum that allows law enforcement agencies and private actors to deploy the technology without clear legal constraints, raising concerns about privacy infringement and potential misuse.
According to the analysis, introducing three targeted amendments to the existing criminal framework could bring facial recognition under defined legal oversight and accountability.
The report urges legislators to consider these changes promptly, so that the benefits of the technology can be harnessed while safeguarding civil liberties until formal rules are put in place.