Hyderabad: Independent researcher Srinivas Kodali has alleged that the Telangana government misused voter roll photographs shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to build its facial recognition system — the Real Time Digital Authentication of Identity (RTDAI).

In a letter to the ECI and the Telangana CEO, Kodali claimed that electoral roll data, including photos, was shared during the Aadhaar–Voter ID linking drive and later used for AI-based facial recognition across departments like pensions, transport, and education. He said the system was even tested during municipal polls to verify voters at polling stations.

Calling the practice “patently unlawful,” Kodali demanded that the ECI stop sharing voter data, audit the usage of electoral photographs, and ensure deletion of records with state agencies. He also linked the voter name deletions during the 2018 Telangana Assembly polls — when 22 lakh names were reportedly removed — to improper use of this data.