China ranks as the worst country at collecting, using and storing biometric data

There’s growing concern among Chinese citizens over how their biometric data is used, but China has no law to protect it

Facial-recognition technology being demonstrated at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in August 2019. Photo: Bloomberg

Biometric security has become extremely common in China, where facial recognition is already ubiquitous in everyday life. But how well does China protect all this data it’s collecting on its citizens? Not very well, according to a new report.

Research from Comparitech shows China performing the worst in nearly every way at protecting biometric data. The report examines how 50 countries collect, use and store biometric data. China scored 24 out of 25, with higher scores indicating “extensive and invasive use of biometrics and/or surveillance”.

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