Switzerland, Canton of Aargau
Kantonspolizei Aargau
Oosto facial recognition for comparing investigative images with police image data, supplied by Oosto
OperationalJournalismPAI-0FB78BFD
- Body
- Kantonspolizei Aargau
- Country
- Switzerland
- Area
- Canton of Aargau
- Technology
- Oosto facial recognition for comparing investigative images with police image data
- Supplier
- Oosto
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- Not known
- Legal basis
- Not stated by the force. In its answer of 30 June 2026 to written question 26.5151, the Basel-Stadt government notes the Federal Council's view that Articles 260 ff. of the Criminal Procedure Code are a sufficient basis for comparing images with police data, says this view is disputed in legal writing and that it is doubtful whether Article 261 is precise enough, and says it has not examined the question conclusively.
- Oversight
- The force's spokesperson says the software makes no automated identifications or decisions and is used only in criminal investigations.
- Evidence
- Journalism
Named reporting by a reputable outlet - Source
- Netzwoche, 1 July 2026
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-0FB78BFD
Notes
Netzwoche (1 July 2026) reports, citing the Kantonspolizei Aargau, that the force uses software called 'Oosto' for facial recognition, comparing investigative or still images automatically with police image data and suggesting possible matches with statistical probabilities; the force says the software makes no automated identifications or decisions and is used for faster, systematic analysis of large volumes of images in criminal investigations. SRF (26 January 2022) reported that the Aargau police confirmed to the programme Rundschau that they work with facial recognition software. The members who tabled a 2021 Zürich cantonal inquiry (KR-Nr. 128/2021) wrote that the Aargau police use 'Better Tomorrow' from the Israeli firm Anyvision, and a 2026 written question in the Basel-Stadt parliament (26.5151) also names 'Better Tomorrow' for Aargau; AnyVision renamed itself Oosto in 2021 (Biometric Update, 27 October 2021). No start date or usage figures were found.
Other systems used by Kantonspolizei Aargau
| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kantonspolizei AargauPrecobs place-based burglary prediction | SwitzerlandCanton of Aargau | LogObject AG | — | Operational | |
| Kantonspolizei AargauAargauGPT generative AI assistant | SwitzerlandCanton of Aargau | — | — | Operational |
Oosto facial recognition for comparing investigative images with police image data elsewhere in Switzerland
See them in the tracker| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fedpol (Swiss Federal Office of Police)Facial image comparison module (Gesichtsbildabgleich) in the AFIS biometric system | SwitzerlandFederal | Thales DIS Schweiz | — | Proposed | |
| Kantonspolizei St. GallenGriffeye Analyze DI Pro image search including face comparison | SwitzerlandCanton of St. Gallen | Griffeye | — | Operational |