this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2025
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433
China bans compulsory facial recognition and its use in private spaces like hotel rooms (www.theregister.com)
submitted 5 days ago by schizoidman@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 130 points 5 days ago (5 children)

The rules also ban the use of facial recognition equipment in public places such as hotel rooms, public bathrooms, public dressing rooms, and public toilets.

This makes sense.

But this also means private businesses are still allowed to use facial recognition everywhere else you aren't getting naked, lie a hotel lobby.

[–] tree_frog@lemm.ee 107 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Who says I'm not getting naked in the hotel lobby?

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 40 points 5 days ago

Please forgive me for assuming your comfort level. I am sorry.

[–] HowAbt2morrow@futurology.today 15 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Harambe fan?

[–] AFLYINTOASTER@lemmy.world 24 points 5 days ago

DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT DICKS OUT

[–] Funky_Beak@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I was jet lagged and walked naked out of my hotel room thinking i was still at home. The walk of shame to the lobby was... an experience.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I mean. I have had dreams that went something like that.

[–] Funky_Beak@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It was just like a dream. I ended up on the wrong floor, which was mirrored exactly like my floor. I think I located my room so I knock on the door (to wake my partner) and this poor woman (who was not said partner) answers the door. That was about then I decided I should probably talk to a staff member. hind sight lucky I wasn't arrested.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

oh man this just get worse and worse. you left out a juicy bit. how did you get to staff? did you find something to hide your shame?

[–] Funky_Beak@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

OK I probably should start from the beginning. I had just gotten off the plane flying from Aus to Barcelona. Jet-lagged as he'll I went to the basement bar and had some amazing mojitos. Liquor laws are a bit different in Australia so usually a cocktail is only 1 standard drink. Barcelona they have no such restriction so each of these is like 4 or 5 standard and I have 6. By the time I get to the room I'm feeling pretty toasty and decide to have a shower. I must have lost my memory of the past 20 hours down the drain because I then went auto pilot thinking I was in my own house and needing a glass of water begun the motions of walking out of my hotel room to go to the kitchen. Some fortunate reason I had a hand towel but it was only like halfway down a hall I realised I wasn't at my house. So covering myself I begin trying to retrace my steps. This resulted in somehow ending up on the floor below knocking on some poor unfortunate persons door. By that point I decided to head to the counter which is also a restraunt. Luckily it was midnight so it was closed. The person at the counter was chill and helped me back to my room. Ride in the old counterweights lift that at best holds 3 people so it was intimate. Woke up the next day filled with shame and a blossoming hangover to remind me why I don't drink.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago

This sates my appetite but I still have internal questions because I have not been to spain. Like im picturing something like faulty towers but the desk moved to the opposite wall between the kitchen and dining room.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 9 points 5 days ago

I feel like it should not allow cameras in general.

[–] recall519@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago

Which is fine. At the end of the day, it's another technology with uses and abuses.

[–] RamblingPanda 1 points 5 days ago

It's much more convenient to scan your bunghole in the bathroom.

[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 82 points 5 days ago (4 children)

Wow, didn't expect that from China but it sounds like a step in the right direction!

[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 51 points 5 days ago

Me too, although the Chinese government itself will still use this technology extensively

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

TBF China and Russia are pretty much the only nations actively using widespread facial recognition technology literally everywhere not explicitly banned.

[–] Murvel@lemm.ee 8 points 5 days ago

Yeah, what a consolation... fucking dystopian either way.

[–] Arcane2077@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 days ago

I'd only expect this from China

[–] klu9@lemmy.ca 35 points 5 days ago

Given that the US government has recognized how unprotected technology (like unencrypted messaging) leaves its individual employees vulnerable to Chinese snoopers, I wonder if China is starting to realize just how vulnerable its pervasive unencrypted tech could leave it to US snooping.

[–] notabot@lemm.ee 42 points 5 days ago (2 children)

The rules also ban the use of facial recognition equipment in public places such as hotel rooms, public bathrooms, public dressing rooms, and public toilets.

Why was there facial recognition, or any other sort of camera, in those places in the first place? Has something been mangled in the translation, is it a fuss about nothing, or were organisations genuinely going "hmm, we need to check your face before you can use the restrooms"?

[–] klu9@lemmy.ca 13 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Chinese fintech giant Alipay has for some years now had the "Smile to Pay" system: Alipay users can pay for something by just smiling into the camera in an Alipay "Smile to Pay" POS terminal. IIRC KFC was the first place to have it.

In China, many operators of public toilets seek to prevent theft of toilet paper (I shit you not 😉) by having some kind of rationed dispenser (a certain user can only receive a certain amount of paper in a certain amount of time) or a vending machine.

Public toilet + toilet paper vending machine + "Smile to Pay" = facial recognition in toilets.

In fact, I think a few wanted fugitives have been caught (out?) by the cameras on toilet paper vending machines.

[–] pycorax@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Chinese fintech giant Alipay has for some years now had the "Smile to Pay" system: Alipay users can pay for something by just smiling into the camera in an Alipay "Smile to Pay" POS terminal. IIRC KFC was the first place to have it.

I thought you were kidding but who the hell thought this ridiculous concept was a good idea? Putting aside the security implications, did no one see how absurd it is?

[–] Arcane2077@sh.itjust.works 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Some places in China are so technologically advanced, that every single thing you do is approved, verified and protected by facial recognition. Carrying a wallet/cash, locking doors, encountering traffic, and even petty crime in general are a thing of the past. In exchange, you're monitored at all times by multiple cameras everywhere you go

[–] colonelp4nic@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Do you have more information on this, or a phrase to Google? The idea of zero traffic, zero petty crime sounds incredibly impressive

[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 8 points 4 days ago

Nice!

[–] singletona@lemmy.world 19 points 5 days ago

'we don't like it when OTHER people do it. This is Our Thing.'

[–] Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago

Oh, I see. Another "rules for thee" type thing.

[–] SnortsGarlicPowder@lemmy.zip 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Hold on. I can put a facial recognition camera in a public bathroom if it's for AI in China. That can't be right

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

IDK what the rules are, but here (Denmark / EU) they are in self checkouts in supermarkets.
So I don't see why hotels and bathrooms shouldn't be able to use it too?

At least China is putting some protection in, and acknowledge there is a line where privacy should be respected.

[–] SnortsGarlicPowder@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I mean any camera in an area where you are either pooping or getting naked is a big no no. I'd be surprised if it wasn't illegal in most countries.

I think I need to get a browser translator plugin that does chinese so I can actually read from the source rather than second hand in an article only.

[–] AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

They want a monopoly on surveillance lol

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago

Not sure why the down votes, other than that I suppose they could have just mandated back doors to all cameras for their own use, and to shut them down whenever desired (like when a party man is in the loo).