Zoo gets sued for using facial recognition - in China

[williamcll]

In what is the first legal case against the use of facial recognition technology in the country, a lawsuit has filed against a zoo who has replaced their thumbprint scanners with a facial scanner for admission by a law professor, who claims this is an abuse of consumer rights. This case has even caught the interest of the national television (see third source).

Quote

A Chinese professor has filed the country's first lawsuit against the use of facial-recognition technology after a Chinese zoo installed a new surveillance system for its ticket gate. Guo Bing, a law professor at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, has brought a rare lawsuit against the Hangzhou Safari Park, after it installed a facial recognition system in July to identify members for entry at its front gates, replacing an older fingerprint identification system, according to a state media report.

Those refusing to register their faces in the new entrance system are now barred, even if they’re among the thousands who have already ponied up the 1,360 yuan (£150) annual fee.Mr Guo has accused the park of violating Chinese consumer rights law by collecting personal data without obtaining consent, in a lawsuit accepted by a local court last Friday. He initially demanded a full refund of his annual membership fee, but claims the park refused to return the full amount. “The reason I filed this lawsuit is not for compensation of economic loss,” Mr Guo told local media.

 

“I personally think the current application of facial-recognition technology still faces uncertainty and security risks, and needs to be regulated.”How the court decides on the case could lead to more regulation and debate in China over the use of such surveillance technology by private businesses and the government. Facial recognition technology is being deployed all over China, with everyone’s faces scanned and recorded. It’s mandatory to submit to face-scanning in order to pass airport immigration, and some subway stations in Beijing allow entry to passengers via facial recognition.

Cash machines now offer facial recognition as an option to identify customers, universities have begun installing the technology at entrance gates for greater security, classrooms in some schools have facial recognition-equipped cameras to ensure pupils are paying attention, and digital payments can be approved via a face scan. It is even possible to board a plane via facial recognition in some Chinese airports. While some Chinese people have accepted this digital dragnet as a part of modern life, not everyone is convinced. “Why can a zoo collect people's facial information? Who is responsible if there were a leak?” complained one user online.

 

“Are human viewing animals or the other way around?” The technology is far from infallible – last month, a couple of primary school students hacked a facial recognition system by using a photograph to open a locker that held delivery packages.

Source:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/11/05/chinese-professor-files-countrys-first-lawsuit-against-use-facial/

https://www.ithome.com/0/455/982.htm (Chinese Source)

http://tv.cctv.com/2019/11/10/VIDE8aO7LwACc6NJnO6BQKCI191110.shtml (Chinese video source, flash required)

Thoughts: Everyone draws the line between convenience, privacy and security differently. It's what your intentions with yours or others.

 

And if you are wondering why hasn't the professor vanished, you might want to question the legitimacy the news about China you normally read.

[spartaman64]

im more concerned about someone stealing my fingerprint information  than my face information but id rather the zoo do neither and just use those wristbands that every other amusement place uses

[Deli]

Meh? I think many major Chinese cities already have tons of CCTV that can recognise faces. If someone breaks a law, like jaywalking, a penalty would be automatically applied, and fine subtracted from his/her bank account.

 

Chinese government is obsessed with controlling everything. Privacy isn't much of a thing there.

[mr moose]

5 hours ago, williamcll said:

 

And if you are wondering why hasn't the professor vanished, you might want to question the legitimacy the news about China you normally read.

 

 

No point in asking people on the internet to be critical,  especially about things where the only information we have is hard/impossible to fact check and likely biased either by the media or political agenda.

 

 

[Trik'Stari]

7 hours ago, williamcll said:

And if you are wondering why hasn't the professor vanished, you might want to question the legitimacy the news about China you normally read.

I question the frequent and common lack of criticism of China in our news.

 

Does that count?

[Tristerin]

2 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said:

I question the frequent and common lack of criticism of China in our news.

 

Does that count?

How dare you question our Lord and Savior Media.  

 

In other news Saudi Arabia is categorizing feminists, atheists, and homosexuals as extremists - punishable by jail and flogging.

 

In our News: TRRRRRRUUUUUUUMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF *insert extremely blood filled rage faced pubescent adult*

[Trik'Stari]

48 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

How dare you question our Lord and Savior Media.  

 

In other news Saudi Arabia is categorizing feminists, atheists, and homosexuals as extremists - punishable by jail and flogging.

 

In our News: TRRRRRRUUUUUUUMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF *insert extremely blood filled rage faced pubescent adult*

The irony of me being a right wing atheist....

[amdorintel]

the vending machines in china, use facial recognition!

[mr moose]

30 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said:

The irony of me being a right wing atheist....

I'm a centre right agnostic theist, everyone hates me.

[amdorintel]

Just now, mr moose said:

I'm a centre right agnostic theist, everyone hates me.

is there any proof of that?

 

[mr moose]

Just now, amdorintel said:

is there any proof of that?

 

Are you asking me to prove something I don't believe is provable? 

[Drak3]

1 hour ago, amdorintel said:

is there any proof of that?

 

I'll sign an affidavit.

[Founders]

11 hours ago, spartaman64 said:

just use those wristbands

Yeah but then they can't track you at every turn if you decide to take it off. This would obviously be unacceptable in China.

[Neftex]

12 hours ago, williamcll said:

And if you are wondering why hasn't the professor vanished, you might want to question the legitimacy the news about China you normally read.

ye dude cuz suing zoo is the same as opening your mouth about government...

[williamcll]

3 hours ago, Neftex said:

ye dude cuz suing zoo is the same as opening your mouth about government...

It gets close once you get to the legal level.

[Murasaki]

Needing to authenticate via biometrics to enter a zoo. I would really want to be surprised but this is China we're talking about.