China Tightens Up Control on Smartphone Users
Summary: China tightens up controls of identity verification procedures for telephone and internet users, requiring new customers to go through facial recognition scanning. Oxford scholar considers that the authority wants to prevent internet frauds but also aims for close tracking and monitoring of the telecommunication users.
(01-Dec) With immediate effect, Mainland China will tighten up the real-name registration management of smart telephone users. Citizens are required to undergo facial recognition validation to confirm identity upon application for telephone network services.
China citizens are required to present identity cards and take photographs on the spot when they buy new smart phones or sign new internet contracts with ISP providers currently. With the new requirements coming into effect, they need to go through facial scan to match up with the identity documentation before they can successfully complete the telecommunication services connection procedures.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced back in September that with effective on the 1st of December, ISP providers are required to adopt AI facial recognition technology to validate the identity of customers for the implementation of the Anti-terrorism law and Cyber Security law.
The authorities emphasize that the new requirement aims at ensuring better protection of the legal rights of telecommunications service users in the cyberspace through prevention of illegal speculative resale of phone cards and identity theft for application of telecom services without knowledge of the genuine identity of the owners.
The three largest telecommunications operators China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecommunications Corporations indicate that they will proactively execute the new requirements to build up cyberspace integrity.
Mainland authorities have been strengthening cyberspace enforcement in recent years to ensure every internet service user is registered in real name. Internet platform administrators and operators were required to verify the users’ identity before allowing them to post and express anything on the internet two years ago.
Oxford University scholar believes that one of the reasons why the mainland authority wants to eliminate anonymous applications for mobile phone access is to strengthen cyber control thus reduce cyber frauds, another reason is to make it easier for tracking and monitoring smart phone and internet users.
Some netizens criticise the increasingly stringent cyber censorship. They query what the government is afraid of. There are also people who point out that there could be victims of facial image leaks in the future. However, those who support the government consider that it is an advancement in technology.
Source: Now TV news 1 Dec 2019
https://bit.ly/2Rc2VYM
#CyberspaceCensorship, #StateCensorship, #PRCCyberSpaceSecurityLaw, #FacialRecognition, #ArtificialIntelligence
Summary: China tightens up controls of identity verification procedures for telephone and internet users, requiring new customers to go through facial recognition scanning. Oxford scholar considers that the authority wants to prevent internet frauds but also aims for close tracking and monitoring of the telecommunication users.
(01-Dec) With immediate effect, Mainland China will tighten up the real-name registration management of smart telephone users. Citizens are required to undergo facial recognition validation to confirm identity upon application for telephone network services.
China citizens are required to present identity cards and take photographs on the spot when they buy new smart phones or sign new internet contracts with ISP providers currently. With the new requirements coming into effect, they need to go through facial scan to match up with the identity documentation before they can successfully complete the telecommunication services connection procedures.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced back in September that with effective on the 1st of December, ISP providers are required to adopt AI facial recognition technology to validate the identity of customers for the implementation of the Anti-terrorism law and Cyber Security law.
The authorities emphasize that the new requirement aims at ensuring better protection of the legal rights of telecommunications service users in the cyberspace through prevention of illegal speculative resale of phone cards and identity theft for application of telecom services without knowledge of the genuine identity of the owners.
The three largest telecommunications operators China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecommunications Corporations indicate that they will proactively execute the new requirements to build up cyberspace integrity.
Mainland authorities have been strengthening cyberspace enforcement in recent years to ensure every internet service user is registered in real name. Internet platform administrators and operators were required to verify the users’ identity before allowing them to post and express anything on the internet two years ago.
Oxford University scholar believes that one of the reasons why the mainland authority wants to eliminate anonymous applications for mobile phone access is to strengthen cyber control thus reduce cyber frauds, another reason is to make it easier for tracking and monitoring smart phone and internet users.
Some netizens criticise the increasingly stringent cyber censorship. They query what the government is afraid of. There are also people who point out that there could be victims of facial image leaks in the future. However, those who support the government consider that it is an advancement in technology.
Source: Now TV news 1 Dec 2019
https://bit.ly/2Rc2VYM
#CyberspaceCensorship, #StateCensorship, #PRCCyberSpaceSecurityLaw, #FacialRecognition, #ArtificialIntelligence
#Censorship #CCP
When You Cannot Have Your Own Face
Liu Keqing, a Baritone from China, was banned by Chinese social media platform including Tiktok, for his resemblance of Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. Liu was accused of violating the "image regulation."
Source: Liu Keqing's Weibo #May10
#LiuKeQing #SocialMedia #TikTok #FacialRecognition #XiJinPing
When You Cannot Have Your Own Face
Liu Keqing, a Baritone from China, was banned by Chinese social media platform including Tiktok, for his resemblance of Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. Liu was accused of violating the "image regulation."
Source: Liu Keqing's Weibo #May10
#LiuKeQing #SocialMedia #TikTok #FacialRecognition #XiJinPing
#OpinionArticle
400 thousand DNA automatically send to China;
Infamous Xinjiang Facial recognition program may come true.
(14 Jul) Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced to prioritize Wuhan pneumonia test for 400 thousand high-risk workers in elderly residential care homes, catering industry, property management and taxi drivers. Two companies from Shenzhen, China will conduct these tests.
Current Wuhan pneumonia test uses saliva samples by swabbing saliva from the throat. Saliva can be used for virus testing, but also provide DNA information. Worst case scenario, 400 thousand Hongkongers’ DNA data may automatically send to China. After the implement of National Security Law (NSL), the Hong Kong government and the Chinese Community Party (CCP) extracted DNA of arrestees who were not accused of NSL. Today, it was obvious to appoint Chinese testing companies conducting Wuhan pneumonia test for Hongkongers. The intention is clearly to develop “Hongkongers’ DNA database” and enhance the surveillance in Hong Kong.
Last year, “New York Times” disclosed CCP collected large amount of blood samples from Uyghurs in East Turkestan (Xinjiang) and extracted their DNA. CCP cover it's intention with an excuse as regular body check, but the truth is to extract Uyghurs DNA for its facial recognition program in reality. This information imported to the CCP surveillance system and cooperated with facial recognition technology. It strengthens surveillance of dissenters and Uyghur.
Today, the Hong Kong government sends Hongkongers DNA to China on the ground of public health. It is an open secret. In the past, Hongkongers always said “Xinjiang today. Hong Kong tomorrow” and urged Hongkongers came out to fight for freedom. But, sorry, “Hong Kong today has become Xinjiang”.
Source: Fergus Leung's Facebook
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#DNA #database #xinjiang #Uyghurs #FacialRecognition #surveillance #Coronavirus
400 thousand DNA automatically send to China;
Infamous Xinjiang Facial recognition program may come true.
(14 Jul) Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced to prioritize Wuhan pneumonia test for 400 thousand high-risk workers in elderly residential care homes, catering industry, property management and taxi drivers. Two companies from Shenzhen, China will conduct these tests.
Current Wuhan pneumonia test uses saliva samples by swabbing saliva from the throat. Saliva can be used for virus testing, but also provide DNA information. Worst case scenario, 400 thousand Hongkongers’ DNA data may automatically send to China. After the implement of National Security Law (NSL), the Hong Kong government and the Chinese Community Party (CCP) extracted DNA of arrestees who were not accused of NSL. Today, it was obvious to appoint Chinese testing companies conducting Wuhan pneumonia test for Hongkongers. The intention is clearly to develop “Hongkongers’ DNA database” and enhance the surveillance in Hong Kong.
Last year, “New York Times” disclosed CCP collected large amount of blood samples from Uyghurs in East Turkestan (Xinjiang) and extracted their DNA. CCP cover it's intention with an excuse as regular body check, but the truth is to extract Uyghurs DNA for its facial recognition program in reality. This information imported to the CCP surveillance system and cooperated with facial recognition technology. It strengthens surveillance of dissenters and Uyghur.
Today, the Hong Kong government sends Hongkongers DNA to China on the ground of public health. It is an open secret. In the past, Hongkongers always said “Xinjiang today. Hong Kong tomorrow” and urged Hongkongers came out to fight for freedom. But, sorry, “Hong Kong today has become Xinjiang”.
Source: Fergus Leung's Facebook
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#DNA #database #xinjiang #Uyghurs #FacialRecognition #surveillance #Coronavirus
Facebook
梁晃維 Fergus Leung
【40萬DNA自動送中 新疆式繪製人臉或成真】 林鄭月娥日前宣布，將優先為40萬從事安老院、飲食業、物業管理嘅員工，仲有的士司機等高危人士進行免費武漢肺炎病毒測試，並由兩間深圳公司負責。...
#NetizensVoice
(14 Aug) A street light outside Causeway Bay SOGO in Hong Kong is being repaired. It seems like they are adding some kind of devices on it.
Source: Facebook
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#FacialRecognition #Privacy #Surveillance
(14 Aug) A street light outside Causeway Bay SOGO in Hong Kong is being repaired. It seems like they are adding some kind of devices on it.
Source: Facebook
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#FacialRecognition #Privacy #Surveillance
#Newspaper
AC2 Canteen newly installed thermometer has facial recognition function, and raises concerns for safety and privacy
(18 Aug) AC2 Canteen reopened on 13 Aug, and has thermometer installed at the entrance, to check the body temperature of visitors.
Different from the other thermometers in the campus, this thermometer checks and indicates visitors’ body temperature by taking photos. When the thermometer is in operation, the monitor displays the below message, ‘Welcome, face recognising.’ as it is testing body temperature. After temperature checking is completed, the message ‘Permission to the access.’ is shown. In addition, the hardware setting, ie height and distance of thermometer, is fixed. Thus it might not effectively check the temperature of people of various heights and distance. People who have meal in the canteen expressed the inconvenience of not having any indication of where to stand or distance to keep for such temperature checking.
Thermometer from SenseTime, a Chinese enterprise with multiple projects with Chinese government
Our journalists investigated and reported that such thermometer is manufactured by SenseTime. And products in the same same series can be coupled with its door lock system.
SenseTime is an Artificial intelligence startup company established by Prof Tang Xiaoou and his team in the CUHK School of Engineering.
The Company was founded in Beijing at the end of 2014, with full name ‘SenseTime Group Limited’. Its business involves graphical processing, facial recognition, auto-pilot, augmented reality, deep learning, and big data analysis, etc.
SenseTime is also a well known Chinese IT enterprise, and has consistently supported and worked with the government on the social credit / surveillance system in China. Surveillance examples include banning smoking in Metro, identifying people who violate traffic rules or have outstanding loans, etc. The US government has blacklisted this corporation under Export Administration Regulations. Unless endorsed by the US government, the enterprises on this Entity List are forbidden from trading with any US enterprise.
In some cities in China, the metro stations have such facial recognition terminals installed at the metro entrances, to assist passengers to use metro service. Such service is dubbed as the ‘metro Face credit’ and with aim to reduce service time compared with using ordinary metro cards.
Resources:
https://www.hk01.com/社區專題/388516/內地-人臉識別-漸普及-帶個頭出街便可吃飯坐車-驗證僅需10秒
https://www.it-square.hk/archives/11979
https://www.sensetime.com/cn/product-detail?categoryId=132
#CityUniversity #CityU #CityBroadcastingChannel #HongKongSnitchingUniversity #TheMostInternationalisedUniversity
Source: City Broadcasting Channel
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#AC2 #CityU #Surveillance #BigData #SocialCreditSystem #CUHK #metro #SenseTime #TangXiaoou #Epidemic #Thermometer #FacialRecognition
AC2 Canteen newly installed thermometer has facial recognition function, and raises concerns for safety and privacy
(18 Aug) AC2 Canteen reopened on 13 Aug, and has thermometer installed at the entrance, to check the body temperature of visitors.
Different from the other thermometers in the campus, this thermometer checks and indicates visitors’ body temperature by taking photos. When the thermometer is in operation, the monitor displays the below message, ‘Welcome, face recognising.’ as it is testing body temperature. After temperature checking is completed, the message ‘Permission to the access.’ is shown. In addition, the hardware setting, ie height and distance of thermometer, is fixed. Thus it might not effectively check the temperature of people of various heights and distance. People who have meal in the canteen expressed the inconvenience of not having any indication of where to stand or distance to keep for such temperature checking.
Thermometer from SenseTime, a Chinese enterprise with multiple projects with Chinese government
Our journalists investigated and reported that such thermometer is manufactured by SenseTime. And products in the same same series can be coupled with its door lock system.
SenseTime is an Artificial intelligence startup company established by Prof Tang Xiaoou and his team in the CUHK School of Engineering.
The Company was founded in Beijing at the end of 2014, with full name ‘SenseTime Group Limited’. Its business involves graphical processing, facial recognition, auto-pilot, augmented reality, deep learning, and big data analysis, etc.
SenseTime is also a well known Chinese IT enterprise, and has consistently supported and worked with the government on the social credit / surveillance system in China. Surveillance examples include banning smoking in Metro, identifying people who violate traffic rules or have outstanding loans, etc. The US government has blacklisted this corporation under Export Administration Regulations. Unless endorsed by the US government, the enterprises on this Entity List are forbidden from trading with any US enterprise.
In some cities in China, the metro stations have such facial recognition terminals installed at the metro entrances, to assist passengers to use metro service. Such service is dubbed as the ‘metro Face credit’ and with aim to reduce service time compared with using ordinary metro cards.
Resources:
https://www.hk01.com/社區專題/388516/內地-人臉識別-漸普及-帶個頭出街便可吃飯坐車-驗證僅需10秒
https://www.it-square.hk/archives/11979
https://www.sensetime.com/cn/product-detail?categoryId=132
#CityUniversity #CityU #CityBroadcastingChannel #HongKongSnitchingUniversity #TheMostInternationalisedUniversity
Source: City Broadcasting Channel
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#AC2 #CityU #Surveillance #BigData #SocialCreditSystem #CUHK #metro #SenseTime #TangXiaoou #Epidemic #Thermometer #FacialRecognition
香港01
內地「人臉識別」漸普及 帶個頭出街便可吃飯坐車 驗證僅需10秒
在內地，出門沒帶錢或信用卡，你都可以暢通無阻，皆因內地近年大力發展人工智能（AI）產業，以人臉識別技術，靠「刷臉」就能買到車票、乘地鐵，以至到商店購物，便利大眾生活。連年輕人愛用的拍照手機程式，都應用了人臉識別，這個技術在日常中可謂無孔不入。隨技術而來的，是上千萬計的鏡頭在公眾地方湧現。令人擔心，當局會利用技術監控人民一舉一動，私隱盡失，活現著名小說《一九八四》中「老大哥正看着你」的世界。記者：梁爽爽 編輯：張衍禎 攝影：張衍禎
#Newspaper
[Campus News | AC2 Canteen Thermal Camera Breakdown; Staff: Undesirable Thermal Camera]
(20 Aug) Few days ago, City Broadcasting Channel (CBC) had reported that the thermal camera installed at the re-opened AC2 Canteen is equipped with facial recognition function. Today, CBC’s reporters visited the AC2 Canteen again and the thermometer is not in service, but manual measuring is employed. Staff added that the thermometer is out of order and under repair, with unknown resumption date. He also confirmed the thermal camera bore the function of facial recognition which was repelled, though the the camera was not connected to internet while it was being used.
Photographer – Andy
Source: City Broadcasting Channel (CBC) - Facebook
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
Further reading:
Discovery in Fairwood: HIKVISION thermal camera
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24438
#FacialRecognition #Surveillance #ThermalCamera #Campus #CityU
[Campus News | AC2 Canteen Thermal Camera Breakdown; Staff: Undesirable Thermal Camera]
(20 Aug) Few days ago, City Broadcasting Channel (CBC) had reported that the thermal camera installed at the re-opened AC2 Canteen is equipped with facial recognition function. Today, CBC’s reporters visited the AC2 Canteen again and the thermometer is not in service, but manual measuring is employed. Staff added that the thermometer is out of order and under repair, with unknown resumption date. He also confirmed the thermal camera bore the function of facial recognition which was repelled, though the the camera was not connected to internet while it was being used.
Photographer – Andy
Source: City Broadcasting Channel (CBC) - Facebook
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
Further reading:
Discovery in Fairwood: HIKVISION thermal camera
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24438
#FacialRecognition #Surveillance #ThermalCamera #Campus #CityU
#MassSurveillance
Facial Recognition System for Uyghurs Identification, Alibaba: Ethnic Marking Function Has Been Removed
One of the leading technology companies in China Alibaba developed a facial recognition system, which was revealed a few days ago that it can identify Uyghurs in Xinjiang, arousing doubts from outsides. Alibaba announced in a statement today (18th December) that they will no longer allow its products to target and identify specific ethnic group again. They also feel "dismayed" that the facial recognition system includes ethnic recognition function, and the ethnic recognition function has already been deleted in all products.
Although AI technology has brought lots of life benefits, there are also opportunities to be abused and even violate human rights. IP Video Market (IPVM) discovered on the website of Alibaba that it demonstrates the function of the facial recognition system for Uyghurs or other minorities, with detail instructions for use. The website introduced that the user can easily upload the pictures or videos, and the system then can determine whether people in the photos or videos are Uyghurs. However, after IPVM inquired, that related information has already been deleted by Alibaba.
Source: Stand News #Dec18
https://bit.ly/34GCBfh
#China #Alibaba #Uyghurs #minority #Freedom #humanrights #IPVM #Facialrecognition
Facial Recognition System for Uyghurs Identification, Alibaba: Ethnic Marking Function Has Been Removed
One of the leading technology companies in China Alibaba developed a facial recognition system, which was revealed a few days ago that it can identify Uyghurs in Xinjiang, arousing doubts from outsides. Alibaba announced in a statement today (18th December) that they will no longer allow its products to target and identify specific ethnic group again. They also feel "dismayed" that the facial recognition system includes ethnic recognition function, and the ethnic recognition function has already been deleted in all products.
Although AI technology has brought lots of life benefits, there are also opportunities to be abused and even violate human rights. IP Video Market (IPVM) discovered on the website of Alibaba that it demonstrates the function of the facial recognition system for Uyghurs or other minorities, with detail instructions for use. The website introduced that the user can easily upload the pictures or videos, and the system then can determine whether people in the photos or videos are Uyghurs. However, after IPVM inquired, that related information has already been deleted by Alibaba.
Source: Stand News #Dec18
https://bit.ly/34GCBfh
#China #Alibaba #Uyghurs #minority #Freedom #humanrights #IPVM #Facialrecognition
立場新聞 Stand News
被揭人臉識別系統 可辨識維吾爾人 阿里巴巴：已刪除種族標記功能 | 立場報道 | 立場新聞
中國科技龍頭之一阿里巴巴研發的人臉辨識系統，日前被揭發可用作辨識新疆維吾爾族人，惹來外界質疑；阿里巴巴今日發表...
As China Tracked Muslims, Alibaba Showed Customers How They Could, Too
The website of Alibaba, one of the world’s most valuable internet companies, taught its corporate customers how they could detect members of a minority group with its facial recognition software. The feature was built into Alibaba software that helps web platforms monitor digital content for material related to terrorism, pornography and other red-flag categories, the website said.
After The Times asked Alibaba about the tool, the company edited its website to remove the references to Uighur and minority faces and declined to explained why information of this feature had been included official documentation of its software.
Source: New York Times #Dec16
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/alibaba-china-facial-recognition-uighurs.html?referringSource=articleShare
#Alibaba #China #FacialRecognition #Muslim
The website of Alibaba, one of the world’s most valuable internet companies, taught its corporate customers how they could detect members of a minority group with its facial recognition software. The feature was built into Alibaba software that helps web platforms monitor digital content for material related to terrorism, pornography and other red-flag categories, the website said.
After The Times asked Alibaba about the tool, the company edited its website to remove the references to Uighur and minority faces and declined to explained why information of this feature had been included official documentation of its software.
Source: New York Times #Dec16
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/alibaba-china-facial-recognition-uighurs.html?referringSource=articleShare
#Alibaba #China #FacialRecognition #Muslim
#MassSurveillance #FacialRecognition
Hong Kong Governmemt Amends Privacy Policy: Airport Passengers’ Personal Data Can be Assessed by Third Party Supplier
Since Jan 2021, a new facial recognition system has been added to every boarding gate (called the "e-security gates") at the Hong Kong International Airport.
This was one of Hong Kong Airport’s 9 billions renovation projects. However, just one day before the deployment of the new system, the Airport Authority Hong Kong amended the privacy policy of the e-security gates.
Compared with the previous version from June 28, 2019 found in the Internet Archive, passengers’ privacy became less protected. Some articles of the “Passengers’ agreement” and one part which mentioned “only anonymous data would be collected” were removed in the new version.
Passengers personal data could also be sent to the third party supplier. The Authority has refused to disclose the identity of the system supplier.
Source: Radio Free Asia #Feb23
#BigData
Hong Kong Governmemt Amends Privacy Policy: Airport Passengers’ Personal Data Can be Assessed by Third Party Supplier
Since Jan 2021, a new facial recognition system has been added to every boarding gate (called the "e-security gates") at the Hong Kong International Airport.
This was one of Hong Kong Airport’s 9 billions renovation projects. However, just one day before the deployment of the new system, the Airport Authority Hong Kong amended the privacy policy of the e-security gates.
Compared with the previous version from June 28, 2019 found in the Internet Archive, passengers’ privacy became less protected. Some articles of the “Passengers’ agreement” and one part which mentioned “only anonymous data would be collected” were removed in the new version.
Passengers personal data could also be sent to the third party supplier. The Authority has refused to disclose the identity of the system supplier.
Source: Radio Free Asia #Feb23
#BigData
#MassSurveillance
Watching You: Face-Recognition Forcibly Installed in Housing Estates in Hong Kong
It is found that some security contractors of a Hong Kong’s housing estate have forcibly added face recognition technology to their security systems, causing great discontent among residents.
For instance, the installations in Fullview Garden in Siu Sai Wan are provided by #Hikivision, a state-owned Chinese enterprise which has high-resolution cameras with up to a 99% accuracy for recognition.
Source: Unwire HK #May7
https://unwire.hk/2021/05/07/cnsordoor/fun-tech/
#MassSurveillance #BigBrother #FacialRecognition
#ChineseEnterprise
Watching You: Face-Recognition Forcibly Installed in Housing Estates in Hong Kong
It is found that some security contractors of a Hong Kong’s housing estate have forcibly added face recognition technology to their security systems, causing great discontent among residents.
For instance, the installations in Fullview Garden in Siu Sai Wan are provided by #Hikivision, a state-owned Chinese enterprise which has high-resolution cameras with up to a 99% accuracy for recognition.
Source: Unwire HK #May7
https://unwire.hk/2021/05/07/cnsordoor/fun-tech/
#MassSurveillance #BigBrother #FacialRecognition
#ChineseEnterprise