Facial Scanning Made Mandatory for Getting New SIM Cards in China

The country is known for using technology for surveillance and monitoring of its residents to keep a check on them.

Using facial scanners will allow telcos to verify with the ID provided by the user.

(Photo: iStock)

China has been leagues ahead of most countries with respect to its usage of technology for surveillance and monitoring purpose. And now, it is reportedly asking for mandatory facial scans for those who’re getting a new SIM card for their mobile device in the country.

According to The Guardian report, from 1 December onwards, while signing up for a new mobile or mobile data services, customers are required to show their national identification cards and get photographed. In addition to this, their faces will be scanned for verifying with the ID they provide during the process.

It is claimed that the new regulation for telcos was framed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a way for the government to identify all mobile phone users.

While China has repeatedly claimed that its focus on surveillance is to keep its citizens safe, the country’s government is known to have kept a tight check on the kind of content that gets consumed and circulated on its heavily-governed internet.

And even after its latest announcement, the Chinese government maintains that it wants to "protect the legitimate rights and interests of citizens in the cyberspace".

Facial recognition programs have been a controversial subject all across the globe. Earlier this year, San Francisco supervisors voted against the use of facial recognition software by police and other city departments, making it the first US city to outlaw a rapidly developing technology that has alarmed privacy and civil liberties advocates.

Those who support the ban say the technology is flawed and a serious threat to civil liberties, especially in a city that cherishes public protest and privacy. They worry people will one day not be able to go to a mall, the park or a school without being identified and tracked.

Even India is closely working with private entities to get its nationwide program up and running. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has “conceptualised the Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS)” as an effort towards “modernising the police force, information gathering, criminal identification.

And few weeks back, Chaayos, a tea-selling joint, was found to be asking for facial ID of its users who were going to purchase items from its outlet.

They might lure you with discounts, but this supposed convenience comes at a price, as facial recognition details are confidential data and this goes against the data policies right now in the country.