China makes face scans compulsory for all phone users under crackdown to ensure the devices are linked to their real identities
- Telecom operators will collect face scans when new phone users are registered
- Researchers have warned of privacy risks associated with gathering such data
- China saw one of its first lawsuits over facial recognition software last month
China will make face scans compulsory for all phone users as part of a crackdown to ensure that all devices are linked to their real identities.
Telecom operators will collect face scans when new phone users are registered at offline outlets starting Sunday, according to the country’s information technology authority.
It comes as the capital Beijing continues to tighten cyberspace controls.
China makes face scans compulsory for all phone users as part of a crackdown to ensure the devices are linked to their real identities
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 customer service representative for China Unicom said that the ‘portrait matching’ requirement means customers registering for a new phone number may have to record themselves turning their head and blinking.
The notice read: ‘In next steps, our ministry will continue to increase supervision and inspection… and strictly promote the management of real-name registration for phone users.’
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 December 1 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’.
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