Gait recognition is the analysis of the walking style and pace of individuals, for the purpose of matching one walking style and pace to another.
Gait recognition involves a human or automated system locating and measuring the body features (e.g., position of the ankles, knees, and hips) of a person as they move, and comparing them with the body features of another person. If the body features are sufficiently similar, the bodies are considered to belong to the same person.
Modern gait recognition systems are capable of identifying a person from a great distance, even if they are deliberately trying to change their gait.
Used in tactics: Incrimination
Mitigations
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Anonymous dress | You can wear baggy clothing to conceal your gait. |
| Biometric concealment | You can wear baggy clothing that hides your body shape, use an umbrella or other concealing objects, or drastically change your walking style by adopting a “funny walk”. |
Used in repressive operations
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Bialystok | The main evidence against the person accused of an explosive attack on a police station was a comparison of his gait and the color of his coat with the corresponding characteristics of a person recorded by the surveillance cameras of the police station[1]. |
| Scintilla | Two of the people were accused of arson because their gait and body shapes were considered compatible with people recorded by video surveillance cameras placing a canister of flammable liquid in front of an Italian post office[2]. |