Hainan rolls out face-scanning machines for public services as China pushes digital infrastructure
- The machines, which use face scans to authenticate a person’s identity, can handle over 150 administrative affairs
Lost your ID card? Need to pay a traffic fine? Want to collect a welfare check? A new 24-hour service is within reach with a face scan – in China.
Authorities in the southern, island province of Hainan have launched facial recognition-backed public services, enabling citizens to attend to government-related matters without having to queue up for manual assistance during office hours.
A total of 350 “public administrative service terminals” have been installed at local government service centres and public security bureaus, banks, drug stores and community centers in Hainan province, according to local media reports.
The machines, which use face scans to authenticate a person’s identity, can handle over 150 administrative affairs, including getting a copy of a temporary ID card, settling traffic tickets and inquiring about loans from the social welfare fund, according to the reports.
The move comes amid wider efforts by Beijing to roll out digital infrastructure backed by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G and the internet of things, as the country aims to re-tool its economy to meet future challenges.