People are seen outside gates controlled by facial recognition camera at Peking University in Beijing, China August 31, 2020. Photo by Reuters/Thomas Peter
Companies using facial recognition in China will need to obtain consent or legal permission before collecting personal information, a draft regulation published on Tuesday said, while stipulating that the rules would not apply to certain bodies.
A draft regulation released by China’s Cyberspace Administration warned that the use of technology should “abide by laws and regulations, conform to public order, uphold social morality, assume social responsibility and fulfill of its obligations to protect personal information”.
The use of technology to “analyze…ethnicity or religion” is prohibited, and processing of facial data can only be done with the consent of the individual or written legal authorization, according to the law. .
It also must not be used to “endanger national security, harm public interests” or “disturb social order”, according to the regulations.
Such technology can only be used “where there is a specific purpose and sufficient necessity, and where strict protective measures are taken,” reads one article of the regulations.
But, he stipulated, the rules would not apply to those “who are not required by laws and administrative regulations to obtain personal consent”. He did not specify what it was.
The regulations will come into effect on September 7 after a public comment period.
At an industrial exhibition in Beijing in June, AFP saw a number of leading companies showcase technology that allowed them to identify “unwanted” behavior and scan faces from over 100 meters (yards) away.
