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Hyderabad City Police is deploying an artificial intelligence platform to monitor social media activity across the city, raising questions about the scope of digital surveillance by law enforcement agencies.
The police force has contracted Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited (BCSSL) to supply and install Blura Saga, an AI-powered system that analyses posts on social media platforms in real time. The system will track trending topics, identify what authorities describe as misinformation and gauge public sentiment through automated analysis.
What the AI monitoring system does
Blura Saga is designed to function as what the company calls a digital command centre for law enforcement. The platform uses machine learning, a form of AI that improves its analysis by processing large volumes of data, to scan public posts across multiple social media services simultaneously.
According to BCSSL, the system provides real-time alerts when it detects emerging narratives that authorities may consider concerning. It includes sentiment analysis, which means software that attempts to determine whether public posts express positive, negative or neutral views on specific topics.
The platform also features escalation mechanisms that flag certain content for human review and can assist police in issuing official responses to online discussions.
Contract includes high-performance servers
The contract covers both software and hardware. BCSSL will supply, install and commission high-performance rack servers equipped with graphics processing units, which are specialised chips that can process the large volumes of data required for AI analysis far faster than standard computer processors.
The company did not disclose the contract value. BCSSL is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Tejesh Kodali, Group Chairman, BCSSL, said the contract demonstrated the company’s capability in government and public safety technology. He described the engagement as validation of the firm’s position in the public sector.
Surveillance concerns
The deployment comes as India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, awaits its implementation. The law, passed by Parliament in August 2023, sets out principles for how personal data should be handled but grants broad exemptions to government agencies on grounds of national security and public order.
Civil liberties groups have previously raised concerns about AI-powered surveillance tools used by police forces. Critics argue that sentiment analysis systems can misinterpret context, flag legitimate criticism as problematic and create a chilling effect on free expression online.
Supporters of such technology argue it helps police respond quickly to communal tensions, coordinate during emergencies and counter deliberate misinformation campaigns.
BCSSL stated the project would be executed within timelines specified in the purchase orders. The company did not specify when the system would become fully operational or whether any public consultation preceded the procurement.
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