If China’s high-speed rail wasn’t high-tech enough for you, you’re in luck, because it’s about to get high-tech-er. This morning, the People’s Daily reports that the Beijing-Shanghai high speed rail line is planning to have facial recongnition software installed in the surveillance systems at three of its stations, specifically Shanghai Hongqiao, Tianjin West, and Jinan West. From the People’s Daily:
“The quick identification system will enable the police to recognize faces via surveillance cameras and comb criminal databases on computers for the final match,” authorities said.
Researchers added the technology works when people are moving and is helpful even if suspects have had cosmetic surgery.
Police said the real-name ticket purchasing system also helps them catch criminals. During the Spring Festival travel rush this year, railway police seized 375 fugitives along the rail network.
It’s hard to imagine this will be particularly effective in catching fugitives, who probably know it’s much more easier for them to stay undercover if they just take the bus, or one of the cheaper trains. But if the technology is successful, it might well be rolled out on a wider scale, effectively allowing police to cast a wider net.
As to who, exactly, they’re looking to catch in that net, there are some concerns. Citizens traveling to Beijing to petition the government for redress of grievances — as is their legal right — are often intercepted by local police exploiting the railway system to capture and detain petitioners before they can reach Beijing. In the wrong hands, facial recognition software could make this illegal-but-not-uncommon practice even easier.
For now, though, the face recognition tech will only exist on the Beijing-Shanghai high speed line, and the bidding process for this project hasn’t even started yet, so implementation is probably quite a long way out.
[People's Daily, h/t to @seeingredchina]