Shanghai (AFP)

Airports, hotels, online sales and even ... public toilets: facial recognition is essential everywhere in China. So when a zoo wanted to scan the face of this law professor, the latter, exasperated, complained.

Guo Bing has decided to take legal action against an animal park in Hangzhou (east), a new case in the country. It is also a sign of growing mistrust of the collection of personal data in an increasingly digital and monitored society.

The Chinese government, keen to make China a technology leader, offers powerful support for facial recognition and artificial intelligence programs.

Many polls have shown that the Chinese showed some tolerance for these sometimes intrusive innovations, seeing benefits in terms of daily life and public safety.

But perception is evolving with the collection of an increasing number of biometric data, from fingerprints to scans of the face and iris of the eye.

The complaint filed in October by Guo Bing, professor at the University of Science and Technology in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, is described by the Chinese media as the first of its kind.

In the teacher's viewfinder: the facial recognition system implemented by Hangzhou Safari Park to filter the entries of visitors with annual cards.

The complaint makes talk: comments on the case have accumulated more than 100 million views on the social network Weibo, where many users call for an outright ban on the collection of biometric data.

Because the leakage of personal information by malicious people is not uncommon. Cell phone numbers are, for example, often sold to canvassing companies.

- 'Pandora's box' -

In a recent article that provoked intense debate, Lao Dongyan, a law professor at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, described facial recognition as "a pact with the devil".

"The arbitrary promotion of this technology (...) will open Pandora's box. The price to pay will not only be our privacy, but also the security for which we have worked," he wrote.

In his civil complaint, Guo Bing believes that the leakage or fraudulent use of personal data "can easily endanger the safety and property of consumers".

A Hangzhou court agreed to deal with the case. No hearing date has yet been announced, however.

On December 30, the government released non-binding guidelines to regulate the collection and use of data to prevent abuse of certain mobile apps.

China, however, does not have specific legislation regarding personal information. A law is being drafted.

But while surveillance cameras are omnipresent in the country in the name of public security, the government could opt for legislation that sanctions the abuse of collection, but not its principle, notes Lokman Tsui, professor of communication at the University Chinese woman from Hong Kong.

"It would be relatively easy for the government to crack down on the processing or sale of personal data, while being able to continue monitoring" of the population, he said.

- Pay for your shopping -

If China often makes the headlines for its prowess in technology, it is still lagging behind the United States, stress most experts.

But it excels in its use.

And the 850 million Chinese who access the internet via their smartphones constitute a precious test base for businesses and administrations.

Facial recognition is thus already used to pay for shopping, speed up identity checks in transport, or humiliate unruly pedestrians.

The toilets of some tourist sites even require a face scan ... to deliver toilet paper, this in order to limit overconsumption by visitors.

There are still many reasons for concern.

In a recent report, the China Consumers Association said that 10% of mobile apps were suspected of collecting biometric data excessively.

© 2020 AFP