Beijing turns to facial recognition to deter scalpers who sell hospital appointments
- To help cure the woes of China’s medical system, Beijing has turned to facial recognition technology as part of its latest effort to snare unscrupulous scalpers
Ticket scalpers can be found everywhere in China. You can find them driving up the price of popular concert tickets or making already hard to get train tickets almost impossible to get.
But when it comes to scalping appointments to see doctors, it is not just about money or time, but also the chance to receive life-saving treatment.
To help cure the woes of China’s medical system, Beijing has turned to facial recognition technology as part of its latest effort to snare scalpers who can make big money from selling hospital appointments.
The Chinese capital has “inputted” the information of 2,100 hospital scalpers into a facial recognition database, which will immediately allow authorities to spot them as soon as they set foot in hospitals, according to a Friday report from Beijing Daily, the official newspaper of Beijing’s municipal government.
The move is the latest example of Chinese authorities using facial recognition technology to not only keep an eye on its citizens but also to make sure they behave themselves. Many Chinese cities are already relying on facial recognition cameras to catch jaywalkers. One Beijing park even installed toilet paper dispensers equipped with facial recognition functions to discourage visitors from taking too much loo roll.