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| In September, China's information technology ministry said telecom operators should use 'technical means' to verify phone users' identities (AFP Photo/WANG ZHAO) |
China will require telecom operators to collect face scans when registering new phone users at offline outlets starting Sunday, according to the country's information technology authority, as Beijing continues to tighten cyberspace controls.
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 China
Unicom customer service representative told AFP that the December 1 "portrait
matching" requirement means customers registering for a new phone number
may have to record themselves turning their head and blinking.
"In
next steps, our ministry will continue to...increase supervision and
inspection...and strictly promote the management of real-name registration for
phone users," said the September notice.
Though the
Chinese government has pushed for real-name registration for phone users since
at least 2013 -- meaning ID cards are linked to new phone numbers -- 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.
Online,
Chinese social media users reacted with a mix of support and worry over the
December 1 facial verification notice, with some voicing concerns their
biometric data could be leaked or sold.
"This
is a bit too much," wrote one user on Twitter-like Weibo, commenting under
an article about the new rules.
"Control,
and then more control," posted another.
While
researchers have warned of the privacy risks associated with gathering facial
recognition data, consumers have widely embraced the technology -- though 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,
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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