Facial Recognition and the Erosion of the Rule of Law in “Moscow Smart City”

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BIO:
Our speaker this month is Antonina Semivolos. Ms. Semivolos worked as a Trusts & Estates Paralegal in a boutique New York city law firm, and as an Electronic Discovery Paralegal for a large international law firm before attending Maurer School of Law. She later completed a dual degree in law and in Russian/post-Soviet studies at Robert F. Byrnes Russian & East European Institute (8/2014), and an MA in Telecommunications at the Media School (12/2022), Indiana University Bloomington. Her professional focus is interrelation between personal data collection lawmaking and facial recognition technologies adaptation in Russia and the US.

TALK SUMMARY:
In this talk, Ms. Semivolos will analyze the administrative and legal techniques which the Russian government has utilized to commence the adaptation of facial recognition and the construction of Moscow smart city, while also targeting the erosion of the rule of law and that of civil society. On one hand, administrative and scientific accounts of Moscow smart city are vehemently positive. Some experts posit that smart city’s construction, and the growing presence of informational technologies in citizens’ lives will lead to a higher degree of democratization. However, what is also taking place is the emergence of more sophisticated means to surveil. I will explore the subtle and important processes that energize the advent of Moscow the smart city: the administrative and legal agendas leading the adaptation of facial recognition technologies, and how the latter affect the life of Russian civil society and its basic engine, the rule of law.

HOW TO ATTEND:
Capital Factory is located at 701 Brazos Street, on the 1st floor of the Omni Hotel. We are in the Devvie meeting room. To locate Devvie, locate Capital Factory's main event room off the Omni lobby, Voltron, Suite 150. Once inside, there should be someone at the desk to direct you to our meetup, but, if no one is there, proceed to the left past the kitchen and down the hallway, Devvie is right around the corner. You may also message us on this event or message us at @EFFaustin on Twitter or @effaustin on Mastodon if you are having trouble finding us. Please note that the room will be locked and EFF-Austin will not have access until 10-15 minutes before 7:00pm CST. We will try to have someone in the Omni lobby earlier than that in front of the Voltron doors to greet you if you arrive early, but otherwise just wait in the lobby until you are let in.

Talk will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/austintechlive and will later be archived at https://www.youtube.com/user/effaustin. Questions for the speaker from virtual attendees may be submitted via the Youtube livestream chat, our Twitter account, @EFFaustin, or our Mastodon account, @effaustin.

Parking for the Omni Garage can be validated at the Capital Factory front desk inside room Voltron, Suite 150, reducing the cost to $8. If no one is at the desk, check with EFF-Austin meetup organizers, we can provide you with one. Attendees must park after 5pm and leave before 10pm to receive the discount, otherwise they will be charged full price, which is $3.25 for every 30 minutes. Affordable street park is also available nearby. Details: https://capitalfactory.com/parking/

AFTER PARTY:
Join us for the discussion from 7:00PM-9:00PM, followed by drinks and camaraderie from 9:00PM-10:00PM in the Omni Hotel lobby.