Hong Kong police will switch on AI-powered facial recognition across their expanding smart-surveillance CCTV network this month, according to Dataconomy’s report of 6 November, which relies on police statements. The stated aims are to find missing people and suspects.
The report says each use of the system will need approval from an inspector or higher-ranking officer, and that data generated by it will be kept for up to 180 days. Eric Leung Ming-leung, a senior superintendent in the police operations wing, said the technology would cut the time officers spend reviewing footage to find target persons. Police said residents’ privacy rights would be protected and noted that facial recognition is widely used by law-enforcement agencies around the world.
The article does not say how many cameras will use the system, cites no specific law, and reports no views from critics or privacy campaigners.
Reporting note: This relies on a single outlet’s account of police statements. Details such as camera numbers, legal basis and independent oversight were not available in the report. The photograph shows a CCTV camera at a Hong Kong station and is for illustration only.
Photo: BUWODIEM 6008 KAUE / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons
