Connect with us

Foreign

China strengthens data protection in facial recognition

Published

on


By Wang Jingyue, People’s Daily Overseas Edition

China has enhanced efforts to ensure data security in facial recognition as the technology has raised increasing concerns over users’ privacy and information leakage while being more and more widely used in Chinese people’s life and work, including such scenarios as unlocking mobile phones, verifying identity, and clocking in.

The procuratorate in Cixi city, east China’s Zhejiang province, recently received a tip-off that some real estate businesses installed cameras that support facial recognition at their sales offices to secretly capture and store the facial features of buyers without giving explicit indication of the information collecting behavior.

According to a survey report jointly released by China’s National Information Security Standardization Technical Committee and other institutions last October, more than 90 percent of the respondents have used facial recognition systems, and over 60 percent of them believe that the technology seems to become overused and is frequently faced with problems such as forced use and illegal collection of users’ information.

Experts pointed out that some people are vigilant against facial recognition because in the era of the Internet, they attach more importance to protecting their privacy like personal data, and compared with other biometric information, facial features can be more easily collected before people realize it.

Besides, unlike other personal data that can be easily changed, such as user name, mobile phone number and e-mail address, facial information is unique and can’t be changed. Once their face data is collected by companies, there’s no way consumers can know if these companies will guarantee long-term and secure data management and prevent illegal use of the data, explained experts.

Therefore, it is of great significance to use facial recognition systems properly and store safely people’s face data with their consent.

In fact, facial recognition has played a positive role in fields like public service. During the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, contactless facial recognition devices, which can accurately and efficiently identify people’s faces and take their temperature, have been widely applied in shopping malls, restaurants and office buildings, actively contributing to the containment of the virus.

With the development of facial recognition technology, some devices can effectively identify people even with their facial masks on. In a huge face database with 300,000 images, such devices can have an accuracy rate of as much as 90 percent in identifying people with their masks on, suggested a research report initiated by China National Information Technology Standardization Technical Committee and jointly compiled by many companies and organizations in December 2020.

Obviously, it is inadvisable to neglect the advantages of facial recognition and simply abandon the technology.

To ensure data security, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China issued a draft law on personal information protection in October 2020, formulating provisions on the installation of facial recognition equipment in public places.

The draft law specified that image capturing and ID recognition equipment installed in public places should suit the need for safeguarding public security, comply with relevant regulations, and be accompanied by noticeable marks to remind users.

The images and personal information collected by the equipment can only be used for safeguarding public security and never be made public or available for other people, said the draft law.

Various areas of China have launched policies to regulate the collection of personal information via means including facial recognition.

In October last year, Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, revised its property management regulation, stipulating that property service providers are not allowed to force proprietors to use public facilities and devices and share their bio-information such as fingerprints and facial features.

North China’s Tianjin municipality implemented a social credit regulation on Jan. 1, which made Tianjin the first Chinese city to publicly ban the collection of facial recognition information.

Experts believe that as relevant laws, regulations and standards gradually improve, the application of facial recognition technology is expected to be brought under good control, and continue to play an active role on the premise that people’s privacy and personal data are kept safe.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Foreign

BREAKING: Trump Orders Investigation into Reported Christian Killings in Nigeria

Published

on

By: Fabian Apechihin

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has directed lawmakers to launch an immediate investigation into reports of widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria, describing the situation as a “Christian genocide.”

In a statement released Friday evening via his Truth Social platform, Trump expressed grave concern over the violence, blaming radical Islamist groups for what he called a “mass slaughter.”

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.

The U.S. President announced that he is designating Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing alarming figures of killings within the country compared to global totals.

“When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria — something must be done! I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me,” Trump stated.

He added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” pledging that his administration remains ready “to protect Christian populations around the world.”

Continue Reading

Defence/Security

Polish MEP Raises Alarm Over Killings of Christians in Nigeria

Published

on

By: Fabian Apechihin

Polish Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Dominik Tarczyński, has once again drawn global attention to what he described as the ongoing persecution and killings of Christians in Nigeria.

In a post on his verified 𝕏 account on Monday, Tarczyński shared an image of a blood-stained Nigerian flag alongside a viral video showing a pastor conducting a burial ceremony for victims of violence.

In the video, the pastor lamented the frequent killings, saying:

“We are tired of performing burial every day, and they expect us to remain silent. It has become an order, and the Nigerian government came out to deny the massacre, saying there is no genocide of Christians in Nigeria. United Nations, you’re watching me. The American Parliament is aware of what we are doing now. My special request is to President Trump to save our lives in Nigeria. They are killing more Christians. If they say they kill Muslims, the Muslims are killed by who? Muslims are killed by Muslims.”

Tarczyński’s post quickly went viral, sparking widespread reactions and renewed calls for the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to combat banditry and terrorism.

However, the Federal Government has repeatedly rejected claims of a religiously targeted genocide. In a recent statement, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described such allegations as “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive.”

Idris maintained that Nigeria’s security challenges are complex and not driven by religious motives, warning that framing the fight against terrorism as an anti-Christian campaign could deepen existing social and religious divides.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting all Nigerians, regardless of faith or ethnicity, and called on international partners and media outlets to “refrain from narratives that distort the country’s security realities.”

Continue Reading

Foreign

Two Dead After Cargo Plane Skids Off Hong Kong Runway Into Sea

Published

on

By: Fabian Apechihin

Two airport security officers were killed early Monday after a cargo plane skidded off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport, struck their patrol vehicle, and plunged into the sea.

The incident involved Emirates flight EK9788, a Boeing 747 arriving from Dubai around 03:50 local time (19:50 GMT Sunday). The aircraft veered off the north runway, crashed through perimeter fencing, and collided with the patrol vehicle, pushing it into the water. Both occupants of the vehicle died, while the plane’s four crew members survived.

According to officials, the plane ended up partially submerged, making it one of Hong Kong Airport’s deadliest aviation accidents in years. Two other runways remain operational as investigations continue.

Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu said the patrol vehicle had been travelling on a service road outside the runway’s perimeter at a “safe distance” when the plane suddenly turned off course.
“Normally, the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea,” Yiu said during a press briefing. He emphasized that the patrol car “definitely did not enter the runway” and that the aircraft had not sent a distress signal before landing.

Divers later recovered the bodies of the victims—two men aged 30 and 41—about five meters from the shore and seven meters underwater. One was confirmed dead at the scene, and the other died in hospital.

Hong Kong’s transport bureau expressed condolences to the victims’ families, describing the event as “deeply saddening.”

Emirates confirmed the accident, saying the cargo plane “sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong.” The airline noted there was no cargo onboard and that the aircraft had been wet-leased—meaning operated with crew and insurance—from Turkish carrier ACT Airlines.

Firefighters reached the scene within two minutes, rescuing all four crew members who had escaped via the aircraft’s emergency slides. Photos from the crash site show the plane broken in half, with part of its fuselage submerged in water.

Authorities are now searching for the plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders (“black boxes”). A police spokesperson said criminal investigations have not been ruled out.

The affected runway will remain closed pending the outcome of the investigation. At least 11 incoming cargo flights were cancelled on Monday, according to airport authorities.

This is only the second fatal aviation accident at Hong Kong International Airport since it relocated to Chek Lap Kok in 1998. The previous one occurred in 1999, when a China Airlines jet crash-landed during a typhoon, killing three people.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2017 Zox News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by WordPress.