--- title: "China Will Make Citizens Scan Faces to Sign Up for Internet" description: "Citizens in China will have to have their face scanned by facial recognition when signing up for internet services or a new number." date: "2019-10-10" modified: "2019-10-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-scan-face-recognition-internet" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "china" - "facial recognition" - "government surveillance" - "the digest" --- # China Will Make Citizens Scan Faces to Sign Up for Internet ![Citizens in China will have to have their face scanned by facial recognition when signing up for internet services or a new number.]() *\Image: Images via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Accessing the Web Starting in December, [*Quartz* reports](), tech companies in China will scan the face of anyone who signs up for internet service or a new cellphone number. The legislation [was introduced]() by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in September to prevent fraud and "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of citizens in the cyberspace," as *Quartz* reports. The move is only a small part in China's growing efforts to keep tabs on its residents' online activity. The Chinese internet remains to be a tightly controlled walled garden that censors many international websites and messaging platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. ## Walled Gardens Critics argue that the new internet service rules are invasive, undermine personal freedoms, and could even contribute to leaks of personal information, according to *Quartz*. While many other countries require government ID to sign up for SIM cards, it's likely the first time a face scan is required. The Chinese government is no stranger to [facial recognition software](). The country's "social credit system" — an Orwellian application of mass surveillance [in the eyes of the West]() — [was introduced]() over the last couple of years to ensure that nobody stepped out of line. Facial recognition cameras can now be spotted [at crosswalks]() to ensure nobody jaywalks and even [outside of bathrooms]() to dispense a set amount of toilet paper. **READ MORE:** [Getting a new mobile number in China will involve a facial-recognition test]() \[*Quartz*\] **More on China:** *[TikTok Mods Censor App for China, Scrubbing Tiananmen Square]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()