Foreign

China strengthens data protection in facial recognition

Published

4 years ago

April 23, 2021

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.

Foreign

Trump at UN: Iran ‘Can Never Be Allowed’ to Obtain Nuclear Weapons

Published

2 weeks ago

September 24, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday told the United Nations General Assembly that Iran must never be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons, branding Tehran “the world’s number one sponsor of terror.”

Trump said Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities were “totally obliterated” during June’s 12-day conflict, crediting a US-led strike codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer.

“Seven American B-2 bombers dropped fourteen 30,000-pound bombs on Iran’s key nuclear facility, completely destroying it,” Trump declared. “No other country could have done what we did. We have the greatest weapons on Earth. We hate to use them, but we did what the world has wanted for 22 years.”

The president said that, shortly after taking office, he had offered Iran full cooperation in exchange for halting its nuclear program, but Tehran rejected the overture. Instead, he accused Iran of escalating threats to its neighbors and to US interests.

According to Trump, the military campaign forced a breakthrough, paving the way for an end to the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. He cast the truce as both a victory for American power and a step toward regional stability.

While hailing the strike as a historic achievement, Trump’s speech underscored the continuing hostility between Washington and Tehran, despite what he described as a short-term ceasefire.

Do you want me to sharpen this into a hard-news brief (just the essentials in 4–5 sentences), or keep the expanded version with military details and quotes?

Foreign

Trump to Criticize ‘Globalist’ Bodies, Palestinian Recognitions in UN Speech

Published

2 weeks ago

September 23, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

US President Donald Trump will take aim at“globalist institutions” and Western governments’ recognition of a Palestinian state in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, the White House said on Monday.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s first UN speech of his second term will highlight “the renewal of American strength around the world” while accusing multilateral bodies of undermining global order.

“The president will also touch upon how globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order, and he will articulate his straightforward and constructive vision for the world,” Leavitt said.

Trump, a longtime critic of the UN, has previously slashed US funding to its agencies and pulled Washington out of several multilateral agreements under his “America First” agenda.

On the sidelines of the assembly, Trump will hold a multilateral meeting with leaders of key Muslim nations — including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan — Leavitt disclosed.

The speech comes amid tensions over recent decisions by Britain, Canada, and Australia to recognize a Palestinian state, with France expected to follow. Trump has condemned the moves, arguing they amount to “a reward to Hamas.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, due to speak at the UN on Friday, has vowed to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank in response to the recognitions.

Trump will also meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss Kyiv’s push for Western-backed security guarantees, and separately hold talks with Argentina’s President Javier Milei after Washington signaled possible economic support for Buenos Aires.

Would you like me to make the headline sharper and more dramatic (e.g. “Trump to Blast UN, Western Allies Over Palestine at General Assembly”) or keep it formal and neutral like above?

Foreign

The Qatari Ministry of Interior has dismissed claims that it introduced new visa restrictions targeting Nigerian passport holders.

Published

4 weeks ago

September 11, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

According to BBC Pidgin, an official of the ministry said Nigerians remain eligible to apply for visas, with no changes to existing procedures.

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The viral claims had alleged that Qatari authorities banned male applicants from travelling to the Gulf state unless accompanied by family members.

The reports also suggested that only women or families could apply for visas, with requirements including a five-star hotel booking and proof of a return flight before consideration.

According to the claims, the purported measures were linked to frequent cases of overstays by Nigerian travellers.

However, Hayya, Qatar’s official digital platform for e-visa services, confirmed that the application process remains unchanged.

“There has been no suspension or changes to the current procedures. If any updates are to be made, they will be announced on our official platforms,” Hayya said.

Qatar has witnessed a steady rise in Nigerian visitors in recent years, particularly as an alternative travel hub during the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (2021–2024), which led to visa restrictions and suspension of direct flights.