The Chinese cyberspace regulator published on Friday the regulations that regulate the use of facial recognition technology, establishing that people should not be forced to verify their identity through such technology.
China is at the forefront of facial recognition technology, used by all levels of its public safety apparatus to track criminals, as well as to monitor dissidents, petitioners and ethnic minorities. The new regulations do not mention the use of facial recognition technology by security authorities.
The administration of the cyberspace of China (CAC) said that the regulations were published in response to the growing concern of society about the risks that the general use of facial recognition technology supposes for the privacy of the data.
“People who do not accept identity verification through facial information must have other reasonable and convenient options,” said the CAC on their website.
He specified that the regulations aimed to stop increasingly common practices, such as the use of facial recognition technology for hotels or to access closed residential areas.
The regulations, approved by the Ministry of Public Security of China and with a date of entry into force in June, emphasize the need for companies that collect data from facial recognition cameras, ensure only the facial data of people after obtaining their consent.
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The regulations did not specify how this would apply in public spaces, but indicated that signals should be exhibited where facial recognition technology is implemented, a practice already widespread in Chinese cities.
Local companies such as Sensetime and Megvii invest dozens of millions of dollars each year in the research and development of the latest IA -based visual image technologies, which promote increasingly sophisticated facial recognition software.
The expansion of facial recognition technology in everyday life in China has caused an increase in social anxiety on privacy in recent years.
A survey conducted in 2021 by a group of experts affiliated with the state media The Beijing News revealed that 75% of respondents were concerned about facial recognition and 87% opposed their use in public places.
In July 2021, the Supreme Court of China prohibited the use of this technology to verify identity in public places such as shopping centers and hotels, and allowed residents to request alternative verification methods to access their neighborhood.
In November of that year, the Law of Protection of Personal Data entered into force, which requires the consent of the user for the collection of facial data and imposes strong fines on the companies that fail to comply with the regulations.
With Reuters information
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