Russia Adopts National Standard for Rating Biometric Algorithms
The Moscow Department of Information Technologies (DIT), together with the Russian Biometric Society and the Unified Center for Biometric Testing (UCBT), initiated the creation of a national standard for rating biometric algorithms. This was reported to TASS by the press service of the Moscow DIT.
"The standard structures Moscow's many years of accumulated experience in using biometrics, which will help other regions of the country to objectively compare vendor solutions and implement the most effective biometric services, making Russian cities even more comfortable and safe," the statement said.
As noted by Dmitry Golovin, Deputy Head of the Moscow DIT, the implementation of the standard will improve the quality of biometric services across the country.
"The document regulates approaches to assessing the quality of facial recognition algorithms. It establishes key criteria for evaluating facial recognition algorithms: accuracy, speed, and reliability, as well as methods for measuring them and a methodology for calculating a comprehensive quality indicator. Now customers from all regions of Russia — from government institutions to businesses — will be able to objectively compare solutions from different vendors and choose the most effective technologies, relying on the established national standard. But the main result will be even more convenient, safe, and accessible solutions for people," he explained.
Moscow's Experience
"Moscow has been using biometric services to improve the quality of life in the city and ensure the safety of its residents for more than a decade. For example, the facial recognition system, which is connected to more than 124 thousand video surveillance cameras, helps law enforcement agencies find offenders from the wanted list and missing persons. Furthermore, since 2021, city residents have been actively using the fare payment service via biometrics — today it works at all turnstiles of the metro and the Moscow Central Circle (MCC), in Aeroexpress trains, on regular river electric transport, and at some stations of the Moscow Central Diameters (MCD)," the department clarified.
Biometric authentication is also used for staff access to construction sites, medical facilities, and theater performances, as well as for receiving subsidized meals and for student access to colleges. In total, since its launch in 2021, the system has been used more than 197 million times.
"In addition to city solutions, residents actively use commercial biometric services, such as paying for purchases by face, which is widespread in many retail outlets. The demand for this service is confirmed by data from a recent study by the Moscow DIT: nearly a third of respondents reported having used biometric payment at least once in the past year. To develop biometric services in the capital, a regional segment of the Unified Biometric System has been created," the press service stated.
Furthermore, in 2025, together with the Russian Biometric Society, the capital established the Unified Center for Biometric Testing (UCBT). It brings together leading experts and players in the Russian market in this field to improve the quality of services and expand their scope of application. The center uses assessment methods that comply with the new national standard. If organizations interested in using biometric solutions and algorithms do not have the ability to conduct testing themselves, they can rely on the test results of the UCBT, which are guaranteed to meet the current requirements of the standards.
Earlier, in mid-2025, on Moscow's initiative, a national video surveillance standard for solving urban problems was approved, which establishes a mechanism for automatically recording deficiencies based on camera images.