UPSC to use Face ID, AI to stop cheating

The UPSC has recently issued a tender inviting bids from experienced public sector undertakings to develop two technological solutions: “Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication (or digital fingerprint capturing) and facial recognition of candidates and QR code scanning of e-admit cards” and “Live AI-based CCTV surveillance service” to be used during the examination process.

The UPSC, a Constitutional body, conducts 14 major exams, including the prestigious Civil Services Examination, which selects officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS). Additionally, it conducts numerous recruitment tests and interviews each year for induction into Group 'A' and Group 'B' posts of the Central government.

Approximately 2.6 million candidates are expected to appear for these recruitment exams, which are conducted at a maximum of 80 centres in cities including Leh, Kargil, Srinagar, Imphal, Agartala, Aizawl, and Gangtok.

“The UPSC attaches great importance to conducting its examinations in a free, fair, and impartial manner. To fulfill these objectives, the Commission intends to use the latest digital technology to match and cross-check the biometric details of the candidates and to monitor their activities during the examination to prevent cheating, fraud, unfair means, and impersonation,” the tender document dated June 3, 2024, stated.

The Commission plans to incorporate Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication (or digital fingerprint capturing), facial recognition of candidates, QR code scanning of e-admit cards, and monitoring through live AI-based CCTV video surveillance. This move aims to strengthen the examination process and eliminate the possibility of malpractices by candidates.

The selected service provider will use data provided by the UPSC for Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication and facial recognition during the exam, as per the scope of work outlined in the tender document.

“Provision should be made for a real-time attendance monitoring system through a secured web server. The system should have provisions for real-time monitoring of the enrolment activity along with GPS coordinates against every enrolment and a timestamp to ensure that enrolment is done during the stipulated shift,” the document stated.

The Commission emphasised that facial recognition should be performed using a stateless transaction of two images: one provided during online registration and the other captured on the day of the exam.

The UPSC also decided to implement CCTV/video surveillance with recording and live broadcast systems to monitor candidates' activities and other persons deployed to conduct the Commission's examinations at various centres across the country under a secure environment.

“The service provider must install an adequate number of CCTV colour cameras in every classroom (at least 1 CCTV camera for 24 candidates), entry/exit gates, and control rooms (where pre-examination sensitive material will be kept and opened and post-examination sensitive material will be packed) of every examination venue,” the document specified.

Each exam hall/room will have one CCTV camera for every 24 candidates, ensuring the ratio is not less than 1:24 and that there are no blind spots. The AI-based video system must be capable of generating alerts for movements detected at entry/exit gates during examinations, improper arrangement of classroom furniture, offline or tampered cameras, movements in classrooms one hour before or after the exam, and inactivity of invigilators. The AI system should flag incidents indicating cheating, unfair means, absence of invigilators, etc., the document added.

The bid document closure date is July 7 at 1 pm, with the bid opening on the same day at 1.30 pm.