China’s cyberspace regulatory authority, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), has unveiled preliminary guidelines aimed at governing the security protocols surrounding facial recognition technology within the nation.
China Develops Framework for Facial Recognition Technology Usage In its draft rules, the CAC outlined that the utilization of facial recognition technology should be restricted to cases with a defined purpose and clear necessity, accompanied by stringent protective measures. The implementation of this technology will necessitate the consent of individuals, the CAC stated. Moreover, the guidelines suggest that non-biometric identification solutions should be prioritized over facial recognition when equally effective alternatives are available.
Facial recognition technology, particularly biometric identification, has gained substantial traction across China, being applied in a range of scenarios from waste disposal management to public restrooms. However, this widespread adoption has raised both public and regulatory concerns.
Instances of Chinese courts and local governments penalizing companies for excessive use of facial recognition have been observed, according to the South China Morning Post.
These draft regulations emerge amid Beijing’s broader efforts to reinforce data governance through the introduction of various rules and legislation. One significant stride in this direction was the enactment of the Personal Information Protection Law in 2021, which marked China’s first comprehensive legislation specifically addressing user privacy. This law was introduced to curb the excessive exploitation of user data by companies.
