China releases plans to restrict facial recognition technology

cnbc.com:

BEIJING — China is planning to restrict businesses' use of facial recognition technology in favor of non-biometric personal identification methods, according to draft rules from the Cyberspace Administration released Tuesday.

The proposed policy requires individual consent, and a specific purpose, for using facial recognition.

«If there are non-biometric verification technology for achieving a similar purpose or business requirements, those non-biometric verification methods should be preferred,» the draft said in Chinese, translated by CNBC.

However, individual consent isn't required for certain administrative situations, which the draft did not specify. If facial recognition is used, the proposed rules encourage use of national systems.

Installation of image collection and personal identification equipment in public places should be for the purpose of maintaining public safety, the draft rules said, noting clear signage is required.

The planned policy comes as companies have reportedly helped Chinese authorities to use facial recognition and artificial intelligence for targeting the Uighur Muslim minority in the country.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNBC at that time that modern tech products and big data are used to «improve social management,» and dismissed the said report as «purely slander.»

Facial recognition is also being deployed by surveillance systems in other countries.

In the U.S., a facial recognition system prevented a woman from entering Radio City Music Hall late last year because its operator, Madison Square Garden Entertainment, said she was an attorney for a firm involved with litigation against the company.

Businesses in China have experimented with using facial recognition for payment