AMP Report - December 1, 2019
China launches mandatory face scans for mobile users
A new rule requiring face scans of customers signing up for new mobile plans in China came into effect Sunday (December 1), with widespread adoption of facial-recognition technology across the country.
In September last, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that “artificial intelligence and other technical methods” should be used to match the faces of customers buying new SIM cards with their identity documents.
The Agence France-Presse news agency cited a source from the state-owned telecoms giant China Unicom as saying the "portrait matching" requirement would mean that people registering a new phone number would have to record themselves turning their head and blinking.
The policy is part of a broader push by the Chinese government to limit people’s ability to stay anonymous online.
Facial-recognition technology is already used for a wide array of services in China, including financial payments.
According to Daily Mail, the Chinese government has pushed for real-name registration for phone users since 2013 which required ID cards to be linked to new phone numbers. But the move to leverage AI comes as facial recognition technology gains traction across China where the tech is used for everything from supermarket checkouts to surveillance.
Telecom operators will collect face scans when new phone users are registered at offline outlets starting Sunday
Chinese social media users reacted with a mix of support and worry over the facial verification notice with some voicing concerns that their biometric data could be leaked or sold.
Commenting under an article about the new rules, one user wrote: 'This is a bit too much.' Another wrote: 'Control, and then more control.'
Researchers have previously warned of the privacy risks associated with gathering facial recognition data but consumers have widely embraced the technology.
However, China saw one of its first lawsuits on facial recognition last month.
In early November, a Chinese professor filed a claim against a safari park in Hangzhou in the eastern Zhejiang province for requiring face scans for entry, according to the local court.
In addition to mobile users, Chinese social media site Weibo was forced to roll out real-name registration in 2012.
Oversight of social media has ramped up in recent years as part of the Chinese government's push to 'promote the healthy, orderly development of the Internet, protect state security and public interest'.
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
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