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China Privacy Security Technology

All New Cellphone Users In China Must Now Have Their Face Scanned (technologyreview.com) 69

Posted by BeauHD from the all-in-the-name-of-safety dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: Customers in China who buy SIM cards or register new mobile-phone services must have their faces scanned under a new law that came into effect yesterday. China's government says the new rule, which was passed into law back in September, will "protect the legitimate rights and interest of citizens in cyberspace." It can be seen as part of an ongoing push by China's government to make sure that people use services on the internet under their real names, thus helping to reduce fraud and boost cybersecurity. On the other hand, it also looks like part of a drive to make sure every member of the population can be surveilled. The Financial Times reported yesterday that tech companies in China are helping to create influential United Nations standards for the facial recognition technology, which will help shape rules on how facial recognition is used around the world.
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All New Cellphone Users In China Must Now Have Their Face Scanned More

All New Cellphone Users In China Must Now Have Their Face Scanned

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  • Face Scan Fight! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by LynnwoodRooster ( 966895 ) on Monday December 02, 2019 @05:12PM (#59478184) Journal
    What happens if you're a Chinese citizen in Portland? Or a Portland resident traveling to China? Face scan, no face scan...

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by U0K ( 6195040 )
      TFA states

      Customers in China who buy SIM cards or register new mobile-phone services must have their faces scanned under a new law that came into effect yesterday.

      So if you're a Chinese citizen in Portland AND you buy your SIM card or register new mobile-phone services in Portland I would assume that there's no face scan unless Portland laws say otherwise.
      If a Portland resident travels to China AND buys their SIM card or registers blablabla in China there would be a face scan, because that happens in Chi

      • This has mostly been the case already for many years. To get a Chinese SIM card you have to show shenfenzheng (Chinese government photo ID) or your passport, and they take a picture of you holding it as part of the process. Requiring a face scan is a marginal increase, but the basic idea is nothing new. On the positive side, such as it is, phone scams in China have been a huge problem, far worse than in the US (e.g. you get a text from your landlord telling you to send the rent to a new account). These meas

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by rtb61 ( 674572 )

      More like, so what happens if you are a criminal spy vs spy type, well, to put it bluntly, you are FUCKED. All over facial recognition is really bad for them. As it is for the other big dickhead douche bag, the police embedded in protests to instigate violence, well they are all going to be exposed. Anyone skulking about pretend to be someone other than who they are, are at real risk of being busted at any time. For some it's just a telling off, lying fuckers and for others, well, it can be positively letha

    • You joke, but we know this is coming soon to a the formerly-free countries of the West. 'Cuz Social Just-Us and/or duh terrawrists.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Return to Communist China and the phone account is set to not scanned...
      Want to connect? Take the account and get it scanned...
      The scanned account can then connect as it is approved in a Communist nation.

    • Customers in China

      Did you really just miss the first three words of the summary?

    • The corporations whose business is your privacy would never allow this in the US. >8^)

  • I don't know how anybody can live in a country like China.

    • Well, you have to REALLY like Chinese food.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Chromal ( 56550 )
      You can't live free in China, but then, you can't live free in these failed and fallen United States, either. And no, we're not free in the United States when you look at the oligarchical corruption of the Federal and state governments, when you look at the war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetuated in our name, when you look at ungovernable and seemingly sovereign hard-right military-industrial state-within-a-state, when you look at good cops circling the wagons around psychotic/corrupt/murdering b

      • You know, you're absolutely right. About all of this. But posts like this don't help the cause of freedom. You need to take the emotion and exaggeration out of it or you're just contributing to the same pile of crap as the other side.

        (What exaggeration? How about "hateful pedophilic misogynistic racist devout theocrats". I mean, come on. That's a bit much for a discussion about freedom.)

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Chromal ( 56550 )
          It's hard to take any system seriously when people like Roy Moore are operating in full force, or while witnessing the prominent and supposedly evangelical institutional endorsements of that anti-Christ, Trump. Apparently, they say it's a permissible ends to the means of bum-rushing Federal court appointments with a certain kind of evangelical-biased judge, I supposed to institute their own kooky version of Sharia law, or whatever they can get away with, may God have mercy on the people they hate, because t

      • You can't live free in China, but then, you can't live free in these failed and fallen United States, either.

        I think you're over your skis a bit... I'll buy failing and faltering United States, though.

        Illiberality. [dictionary.com] Nice.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by U0K ( 6195040 )
        Sure all of those places have their downsides as well.

        Nowhere is perfect and as far as I can see nobody is claiming that their country is perfect either.
        But this is not a binary issue where it's either perfect or flawed and all the flawed are the same. There's still some big differences that can be there.

        Hence I still think that if you posses the Western mindset, that has a strong emphasis on individualism over collectivism, you'd most likely be a lot more miserable in China than in the USA, UK, New Ze

      • You can't live free in China, but then, you can't live free in these failed and fallen United States, either.

        Oddly enough, Chinese who know exactly how life is in China continue to flee to the US.

      • Personally, I live in fear of Flat Eartherism. I'm literally shaking in my boots right now.

      • You can't change others; you change yourself. You can always drop out and not participate. You win by not playing.

    • Pretty simple, they don't just let them leave (unless they have a high social credit score, and also can be expected to come back.)

    • > I don't know how anybody can live in a country like China.

      This surveillance is bad, but Mao Zedong killed 90 million Chinese on his path to creating "real socialism". They've been through worse.

      To a certain extent, Chinese citizens are hostages.

      To a lesser extent, you are too.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Passports are for the people approved to travel. A digital wall around the Communist nation.
      Internal permits and permissions to move/stay in a city.
      Get reported and the ability to travel outside the nation is gone.
      Get reported more and the city permit is gone.
      Local police keep track of every resident, as a citizen and any person allowed to stay in Communist China.
      Police interviews after work to ensure they know of any change in housing, city, work...
      The smartphone use is just another part of the dig

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

      That's because they are born there into the system.

      You can't be too careful selecting your parents.

      And it's clear that 1984 was a manual [youtube.com] not a warning. The terrorists also strengthens the "need" for this.

  • tech companies in China are helping to create influential United Nations standards for the facial recognition technology, which will help shape rules on how facial recognition is used around the world.

    [...bold italic mine...]

    Just 3 years ago, I never would have thought that the Chinese would become this influential. The USA better wake up!!

    • Just 3 years ago, I never would have thought that the Chinese would become this influential. The USA better wake up!!
      I get your meaning. When the head of your own government almost singlehandedly is ruining your entire countrys' reputation with the rest of the world, that's what happens.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Communist staff in US brands get to tell of how neat Communist China is.
      Note the Communist US workers dont talk about their projects for Communist China.
      The US tech projects for Communist China are hidden, on time and work as set out.
      ... but US workers have the brand approved "freedom" to walk out on the US gov/mil...

  • China + UN (Score:3)

    by skaralic ( 676433 ) on Monday December 02, 2019 @05:32PM (#59478252)

    tech companies in China are helping to create influential United Nations standards for the facial recognition technology, which will help shape rules on how facial recognition is used around the world.

    If that doesn't send a chill through you, nothing will.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Empiric ( 675968 )

      Following practically to the letter the predictions (well, prophetic interpretation) I first heard detailed from an older wealthy friend in high school, in the 1980's.

      Now just worldwide cashless, and we're there.

    • China thru' economic "help" to couple to dozens of african countries has collected lot of UN votes (seems in UN, each country has equal voting weight); Even australia is getting arm-twisted due to chinese economic reliance. I guess those who work hard, independent of their social ideals get to win in the long run. You just watch many become 'yes man' as they have become economic slaves - in modern day you don't need guns to enslave but financial contracts.

  • Dictatorship (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Real Melancon ( 4422677 ) on Monday December 02, 2019 @05:34PM (#59478270)
    Don't forget China is not a Government, it's a dictatorship. They do what they want, when they want.

    • That's a distinction without a difference. A dictatorship is simply a type of government.

      From the dictionary [merriam-webster.com]:

      3 a: a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique

      • They are used to transporting goods and make a good living doing so, this time however they've been tasked with taking 300 boxes of penis shaped potatoes across the channel and they all think it's a joke.

        "We'll be a laughing stock" says the first sailor.

        "I'll never be able to live it down" says the second.

        "Let's tell the captain that we've decided not to go" says the third.

        Headstrong they head to the captains quarters to voice their displeasure and inform him of their decision.

        The captain hears them out but ultimately disagrees and informs them that they'll be going ahead with the journey.

        "But we've got you outvoted 3 to 1" the sailors cried in unison.

        "You fools" said the captain "you're all forgetting one thing!"

        "What's that?" Exclaimed the sailors.

        The captain stood tall and addressed them powerfully. "That this isn't a democracy..." "It's a dick tater ship!"

  • How can they tell..... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    ....that it isn't just the same dude getting photographed over and over again?

  • On the other hand, it also looks like part of a drive to make sure every member of the population can be surveilled.

    Duh. That's what they're all about. Got to keep an eye on your robots after all.

  • ...where _actually_ someone looks the same as another one, will he have to share the number?

    I don't mean to imply that they all look the same but with 1,5 billion people there must be matching entries.

  • So not a problem...

  • Why not a full-body naked scan?! That'll catch those dastardly sex maniacs who keep sending dick pics. --ouch... no boob pics either huh #NEVER_MIND

  • News flash: every north american who has a drivers licence must submit to a face sca?. Airport face scans even for US citizens by homeland security?
    Nefarious government plot or just proper measures for the greater good?

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