As with Google and Microsoft, facial recognition regulation is a hot topic for Chinese tech companies

The country known for its ubiquitous use of facial recognition is now quietly preparing for more controls on facial recognition. The technology is used in China for everything from mobile payments to shaming jaywalkers, but consumers are starting to push back.

This increasing skepticism is part of a global trend. The EU is considering a temporary ban on facial recognition, which got a nod of approval from Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Microsoft President Brad Smith was less enthused, showing how different companies and countries have competing visions for the use of tech that’s increasingly seen as invasive.

In China, conventional wisdom suggested people cared more about new technology than privacy. That was the explanation for the explosion of facial recognition tech there. But the reaction to Baidu CEO Robin Li's comment proved this wrong. In 2018, he said that consumers were willing to trade data privacy for convenience -- and sparked an immediate online backlash.

Since then, big AI companies have stepped up their efforts to standardize facial recognition, Shang said. One of them is Megvii, an Alibaba-backed facial recognition company that’s planning a US$500 million Hong Kong IPO. The company is hoping to become an industry rule-maker, according to EqualOcean.