Using smart door locks with facial recognition? China says you should think twice
A rare warning in a country that embraces facial recognition
The Chinese government usually loves to tout the effectiveness of facial recognition, whether it’s for solving crimes or checking in passengers at airports. But now it’s saying there’s one place where people should be careful about using the technology -- your front door.
The regulator didn’t name brands or elaborate on technical details. But it’s not hard to imagine the risks. A regular 2D camera, without an infrared sensor, can be easily fooled by photos. Security experts say even more sophisticated cameras can fall prey to 3D models of your face, reproduced from photos found on social media or other channels.
Authorities suggest that users should disable facial recognition on the locks and instead use multiple verification procedures, like combining fingerprints with passwords.
(Abacus is a unit of South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba. Alibaba chairman Jack Ma is an investor of Yunfeng Capital, which backs Xiaozhu.)
But state media has occasionally warned about the privacy and security issues involved. A People’s Daily article published earlier this month, for example, said that facial recognition could be abused by malicious actors. It also pointed out that China’s cybersecurity law lacks operational details on how to protect personal information.
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For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.