China’s cyberspace watchdog said on Tuesday it had released draft rules to oversee the security management of facial recognition technology in the country after public concerns over excessive use of the technology.
The Cyberspace Administration of China stated that face recognition technology can only be used to process face information when there is a specific purpose, it is necessary and necessary, and strict protective measures are taken.
In a statement, the CAC said the use of the technology would also require individual consent. It added that non-biometric solutions should be preferred over facial recognition where they are equally effective.
Biometric identification, especially facial recognition, is already widely used in China. In 2020, local media reported that public restrooms were using facial recognition to activate toilet paper dispensers, sparking public and regulatory concern at the time.
According to the South China Morning Post, many Chinese courts and local governments have ruled and imposed fines on companies that overuse facial recognition.
The draft regulations released by the Cyberspace Administration of China on Tuesday say that hotel rooms, public bathrooms, changing rooms, restrooms and other places that may infringe on the privacy of others are not allowed to install cameras or personal identification devices.
The regulator added that image-capturing devices should only be installed in public places for public safety purposes, with prominent warning signs next to them.
The draft rules come as Beijing tightens data oversight by issuing a series of rules and laws. Most notably, China introduced its first law focusing on user privacy, the Personal Information Protection Law, in 2021 to curb excessive corporate use of user data.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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