Tuesday, November 30th, 2021
Face recognition cameras
China expands surveillance of reporters
The Chinese province of Henan appears to be preparing an unprecedented system of persecution. Thousands of database-connected cameras are said to capture the faces of suspicious people. There are different categories for dealing with journalists – including “disposal”.
A Chinese province is setting up a facial recognition surveillance system to track foreign journalists, students and other suspects. According to the Henan Province tender at hand, 3,000 cameras are to be linked to national and regional databases.
An alarm should also be given, for example, if one of the persons concerned registers at the hotel, buys a plane ticket or crosses the provincial border. The tracking system is said to be operated by 2000 police officers. Journalists are divided into three categories according to the traffic light colors red, yellow and green – to indicate the urgency of the follow-up. According to the tender, facial recognition must be accurate even if people being observed wear face masks or glasses.
The surveillance system is “unlike anything” that the researchers have discovered so far, reported the US-based surveillance technology research firm IPVM, which also discovered the tender online. There is even a category “disposal” for journalists.
The Chinese software and IT company Neusoft was awarded the contract for the project, which had already been tendered in July, reported IPVM. Multiple attempts to get a statement from the company were therefore unsuccessful. It is not known whether other provinces are also setting up or perhaps already operating similar surveillance systems.