China: Cyberspace Watchdog to Restrict Facial Recognition Tech

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Facts

  • China's cyberspace regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), issued draft rules on Tuesday to oversee the security management of facial recognition technology in the country.1
  • The draft policy would restrict businesses' use of the technology, requiring companies to obtain individual consent before using facial recognition and ensure it's used only for specific purposes.2
  • As a nation with high surveillance, China has thousands of CCTV cameras, and facial recognition technology is widely used in everything from day-to-day law enforcement to monitoring political activity.3
  • The increasing use of facial recognition technology by Chinese companies and local governments has raised concerns over privacy and bias. Some residential areas require facial scans to access buildings, and there is concern about the accuracy and fairness of algorithms, especially with regards to minority groups.4
  • China's top internet watchdog has also called for an outright ban on the installation of spy cameras in hotel rooms, public bathrooms, changing rooms, toilets and other places where privacy may be infringed upon.1
  • The CAC has asked the public to respond to its proposal on its official website. Residents can also send their ideas through postal or e-mail before the Sep. 7 deadline, according to the administration.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2CNBC, 3France 24, 4TechCrunch, and 5Chinadaily.com.cn.

Narratives

  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by China Daily. China is a world leader in monitoring technology and its vast network of CCTV cameras, if effectively enforced, is an invaluable tool to enhance public security. Nevertheless, the latest proposal shows that Beijing also takes privacy and bias concerns seriously, and is stepping up efforts to establish more defined boundaries for the technology's usage.
  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by New York Times. China is certainly a world leader in the mass surveillance of its people, and these new guidelines are nothing but window dressing. The Chinese government helms a massive, invasive surveillance program that monitors every aspect of everyday life, with facial recognition restrictions doing little to curtail the surveillance regime in the country. These new measures are fooling nobody.

Predictions