China introduces mandatory face scans for phone users
China introduces mandatory face scans for phone users
AFP Relax News•
In September, China's industry and information technology
ministry issued a notice on "safeguarding the legitimate rights and
interests of citizens online", which laid out rules for enforcing
real-name registration.
The notice said telecom operators should use "artificial
intelligence and other technical means" to verify people's identities when
they take a new phone number.
A China Unicom customer service representative told AFP that the
December 1 "portrait matching" requirement means customers
registering for a new phone number may have to record themselves turning their
head and blinking.
"In next steps, our ministry will continue to...increase
supervision and inspection...and strictly promote the management of real-name
registration for phone users," said the September notice.
Though the Chinese government has pushed for real-name
registration for phone users since at least 2013 -- meaning ID cards are linked
to new phone numbers -- 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.
Online, Chinese social media users reacted with a mix of support
and worry over the December 1 facial verification notice, with some voicing
concerns their biometric data could be leaked or sold.
"This is a bit too much," wrote one user on
Twitter-like Weibo, commenting under an article about the new rules.
"Control, and then more control," posted another.
While researchers have warned of the privacy risks associated
with gathering facial recognition data, consumers have widely embraced the
technology -- though 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, 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".
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