A video recently posted by VICE news network reveals the advancements being made in regards to facial recognition technology in China. This technology is being used in the public sphere via cameras placed at traffic lights, street corners, and other urban areas. These companies that develop this technology are collaborating with the Chinese government to gather data to increase the surveillance state. The government has used this technology to identify criminals, as well as linking Chinese citizens’ face to their government I.D. in order to easily identify every single person.
The Chinese government is planning to use this facial recognition technology to create a social credit system in which if someone has a ‘bad’ score, then they will not be allowed to travel and are publically shamed. This has received much criticism from the West, claiming that it is dystopian and is a breach of privacy. With this much advancement in facial recognition technology, it is yet to be seen what else private companies and governments will use it for.
Although the facial recognition technology is developed for a positive purpose, when you think of government and police having all of my private information, it’s kind of scary. Similar to the case in China, I read an article about facial recognition technology that was actually released yesterday in London. According to the article, this technology was implemented not only to fight crime but also to find missing people: for the benefit of all. In addition to collecting data from people to prevent crimes, it mentioned that it will protect people’s privacy as well. It stated that ‘photos of people who don’t match up with any records will automatically be deleted from the data’ (Gonzalez, 2020). Having the idea of removing information seemed creative and somewhat effective, but I personally think this doesn’t mean that our privacy is being protected. Yes, this technology may reduce the crime rate and may be easier for the police and government to deal with criminals. However, collecting people’s facial information in the first place is already taking away our privacy. Who knows if those data are actually deleted or kept aside for future information? I think we need to think several times and take more time before implementing these technologies.
https://www.cnet.com/news/london-police-turn-to-facial-recognition-to-tackle-serious-crime/
Until reading this post, I was not aware of how China was using facial recognition. When reading about it, my first thought was this could really be beneficial when trying to identify criminals or people that are missing. I think the advancements that are being made in technology are very interesting and can be used to help people in certain situations. After reading more about it, I tried to think about what it would be like if this kind of technology was being used everywhere in State College. I thought about how uncomfortable I would feel all the time and like I did not have any privacy anymore.
With something that is controversial like this topic of China using the facial recognition everywhere, there are always going to be pros and cons. I think it can be used for good however the article that said it could also be used to publicly shame people is obviously using this technology for the wrong reasons.
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/16/788597818/how-china-is-using-facial-recognition-technology
It is crazy to think about someone watching you every time you walk down the street or use public transportation. According to an article from BBC, 74% of respondents to a Beijing research survey said that they would prefer to use traditional ID rather than the new technology. While I do agree that this new method can be very helpful to the government and police, I can also see where the people of China’s concerns are coming from.
A huge concern is the risk that the technology has if it is to be compromised by hackers. The information that the surveillance system picks up on a daily basis could be detrimental to people if it gets into the wrong hands. As more and more facial recognition systems are being introduced across China there is no way to escape being watched while out in public.
Despite the fact that some citizens feel safer with the facial recognition systems, I feel that it is not morally correct to watch people’s every move.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50674909
I completely agree with this post, facial recognition is a complete breach of privacy. Although it can have many benefits to it – police and government work would benefit immensely by being able to figure out one’s identity so quickly, it could speed up the process of many crimes – but to use it in a situation like this to publicly shame one is completely unethical. People do things they are not proud of, and the personal bearing of that is enough guilt for someone instead of forcing others to look down upon them. It could be used to stop crimes – for example, if someone jaywalks the cameras and facial recognition can quickly stop them – and that is a good use of this technology but it is completely unfair to share others credit scores and shame them for being the people that they are. It is creating a negative environment where one person can’t be themselves without others judging them.
I’d like to add on to this with an article I read in the NPR regarding this issue of surveillance in China. In it, John Wethington, a security researcher, worked at a firm which discovered a dataset containing much information regarding said surveillance. When his firm “started digging deeper into [the dataset], [they] realized people were effectively being watched” (Feng). He describes how “people were indexed by information, like their criminal history, with facial recognition data, like if they were bearded or wearing a mask, and even what ethnicity they were” (Feng).
Whether this is for better or worse, I don’t know. All I can say is that there is a very real potential for harm if the Chinese government chooses to use this technology negatively, so I do genuinely hope that China uses this for good.
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/16/788597818/how-china-is-using-facial-recognition-technology
This video posted by VICE was rather interesting to me. My main point of focus definitely sat upon the expansion of this idea. The clip talks about “paying with smile”, and how globally many countries are currently investing in this technology for various reasons. This leaves large open areas for discussion regarding the future of shopping. For instance, Amazon has recently introduced Amazon Go, a store that requires no lines of payment. You simply walk in, scan in, and walk out. Throughout your shopping experience you are monitored by cameras and they monitor your every action to know what to be charged for (Amazon). Although I do not believe it should be done in public spaces, it is fair to say that VICE is correct when they say this is what the future holds.
An article by Margi Murphy, goes to explain that facial recognition is becoming the most valuable form of AI. The article goes to mention that the company known as “SenseTime” is collaborating with Chinas local governments. It then further explains that facial recognition AI specifically is estimated to be worth over $60Billion within the next decade. With large corporations moving towards this, especially companies like Amazon, it is clear that the monetary value is present. Personally I believe that whether it is wanted or not, this form of technology will be in everyday life sooner or later. It holds multiple benefits as well as numerous negatives.
Sources: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/04/09/chinese-facial-recognition-company-becomes-worlds-valuable-ai/
https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16008589011
When I was back in Shanghai last winter break, I have actually experienced the facial recognition system myself. This new facial recognition technology is literally everywhere in the city. Maybe when you are walking through a street or maybe when you are eating in a restaurant with your friend. In my opinion, I have two thoughts towards this new technology.
First, I found this system extremely uncomfortable and strange for me. One summer when I went back to visit my family, there were camera everywhere to monitor citizen’s actions. I felt so uncomfortable just walking on the streets because of knowing myself was being monitored. In another word, to me, all the cameras and the facial recognition is taking people’s privacy away. Yet, privacy is one of the most important rights everyone should have, isn’t it?
Secondly, I also don’t necessarily think this whole facial reorganization system is 100% bad. I do admit by making everything digitalized, it is making people’s life so much easier. Also, there will be less crime since there are cameras everywhere to monitor the city.
source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/16/this-chinese-facial-recognition-start-up-can-id-a-person-in-seconds.html
This is a very interesting post regarding facial recognition in China. Facial recognition can be very useful for making the world a better place. However, this is very powerful technology loaded with all kinds of personal information. In the wrong hands, this would put citizens identity at risk. Luckily, China has very good intentions with this technology. Linking citizens faces to their ID makes tracking criminals very easy. This technology will also be used to stop criminals before they can get started. For example, the technology will be used to identify drug dealers, allowing the government to stop these individuals from using public transportation and making purchases. While this is a bit extreme, it has some benefits.
I do agree with the concerns from the west. Imagine if hackers get this information. Overall, this is a decent idea, but poses some very serious risks to the people of China.
Reference: https://fortune.com/2018/10/28/in-china-facial-recognition-tech-is-watching-you/