• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Our Services
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Top Nav Social Icons

FindBiometrics

FindBiometrics

Global Identity Management

  • Biometrics
    • What are Biometrics?
    • FAQ
    • Biometric Associations
    • Companies
    • Premier Partners
  • News
    • Featured Articles
    • Interviews
    • Thought Leadership
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
    • Year in Review
  • Applications
    • Biometric Security
    • Border Control and Airport Biometrics
    • Consumer and Residential Biometrics
    • Financial Biometrics
    • Fingerprint & Biometric Locks
    • Healthcare Biometrics
    • Justice and Law Enforcement Biometrics
    • Logical Access Control Biometrics
    • Mobile Biometrics
    • Other Biometric Applications
    • Physical Access Control Biometrics
    • Biometric Time and Attendance
  • Solutions
    • Behavioral Biometrics
    • Biometric Sensors and Detectors
    • Facial Recognition
    • Biometric Fingerprint Readers
    • Hand Readers & Finger Scanners
    • Iris Recognition
    • Biometric Middleware and Software
    • Multimodal Biometrics
    • Physiological Biometrics
    • Smart Cards
    • Vein Recognition
    • Voice and Speech Recognition
  • Stocks
  • Events
  • Directory
  • Podcasts

Alibaba Disavows (but Acknowledges) Facial Recognition Platform with Ethnicity Tag

December 21, 2020

Alibaba is trying to distance itself from its own Alibaba Cloud division, and in particular from a controversial facial recognition program that is able to identify people based on their ethnic background. The feature would give Chinese authorities the ability to recognize and tag members of the country’s minority Uighur Muslim population.

Alibaba Disavows (but Acknowledges) Facial Recognition Platform with Ethnicity Tag

Reports of the Alibaba system hit the news shortly after the US-based IPVM revealed that Huawei and Megvii had tested a similar system with an “Uighur alarm” that could notify the authorities whenever it spots a member of the minority group. The two companies claimed that the utility never made it beyond those tests, and that it has not been deployed in any real-world applications.

Alibaba, on the other hand, has essentially tried to disavow its own system, implying that it was not aware that Alibaba Cloud had been developing the software and was “dismayed to learn” that it had done so. The company then echoed Huawei and Megvii by suggesting that the feature was only tested and never deployed in a real-world setting. Alibaba also released a statement to let customers know that it had removed the ethnic tagging feature from its facial recognition products, saying that, “We do not and will not permit our technology to be used to target or identify specific ethnic groups.”

The US has blacklisted both Huawei and Megvii for their potential involvement in surveillance schemes in the province of Xinjiang, where civil rights advocates have alleged that as many as a million Uighurs have been imprisoned in internment camps. The Chinese government has claimed that the camps are vocational training centers set up to deescalate religious extremism.

Alibaba has thus far escaped that kind of scrutiny (and those kinds of sanctions), but that could change if the company becomes associated with an ethnic classification system like the one described in the recent report. Megvii has provided facial recognition technology for Alibaba’s Alipay mobile payments platform, and Alibaba has returned the favor by providing financial backing for the Chinese start-up. 

Source: Bangkok Post

–

December 21, 2020 – by Eric Weiss

Related News

  • Another Chinese Company Profiles Uighur Muslims with Facial RecognitionAnother Chinese Company Profiles Uighur Muslims with Facial Recognition
  • Megvii Files to List on China’s ‘Star Market’ ExchangeMegvii Files to List on China’s ‘Star Market’ Exchange
  • Report: Huawei and Megvii Designed Facial Recognition System to Target Uighur MinoritiesReport: Huawei and Megvii Designed Facial Recognition System to Target Uighur Minorities
  • Chinese City Suspends Biometric Toilet Paper ProgramChinese City Suspends Biometric Toilet Paper Program
  • Academics Divided Over Ethics of Biometric Facial Recognition ResearchAcademics Divided Over Ethics of Biometric Facial Recognition Research
  • Pay-for-Play Service Offers Unregulated Access to Moscow’s Biometric Facial Recognition SystemPay-for-Play Service Offers Unregulated Access to Moscow’s Biometric Facial Recognition System

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Alibaba, Biometric, biometrics, biometrics controversy, China, ethical issues, face biometrics, facial recognition, human rights issues, Uighurs

Primary Sidebar

Thales digital ID

Read the Latest 2020 Year in Review Analysis:

IDEMIA big box

Sponsored Links

AU10TIX, an identity management company headquartered in Israel, provides critical, modular solutions to link physical and digital identities so that companies and their customers can confidently connect.

CMITech is a leading provider of high performance, cost effective iris recognition systems. The company is setting the industry standard for advanced user interfaces that are fast, intuitive and effortless. Serving enrollment and authentication solutions of all sizes, CMITech systems include binoculars-type, wall mount, desktop, and kiosk-type product configurations.

Onfido is building the new identity standard for the internet.Our AI-based technology assesses whether a user’s government-issued ID is genuine or fraudulent, and then compares it against their facial biometrics. That’s how we give companies like Revolut, Zipcar and Bitstamp the assurance they need to onboard customers remotely and securely. Our mission is to create a more open world, where identity is the key to access.. For more information, please visit
www.onfido.com
TECH5 is an international technology company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with branches in the US, Europe and Asia, dedicated to the design, development, and distribution of biometrics-driven Identity Management solutions. Target markets include Government and Private sectors with products powering Civil ID, Digital ID, eKYC, Digital Onboarding, Visitor Management and others. Learn more:
www.tech5.ai
ThreatMark brings trust to the digital world by providing cutting-edge fraud prevention solutions. Major banks use ThreatMark's AI-powered technology and behavioral biometrics to build secured banking experience to precisely verify their legitimate users, seamlessly across all digital channels. All while securing the users' most precious assets and keeping the fraudsters away. Learn more:
www.threatmark.com/
NEC IDelight
MobileIDWorld

Mobile ID World is here to bring you the latest in mobile authentication solutions and application providers. Our company is dedicated to providing users with the best content and cutting edge information on technology, news, and mobile solutions for your mobile identity management needs.

Thales digital ID

Recent Posts

  • Facebook Weighs Privacy Risks of Facial Recognition for Smart Glasses
  • BindID IoT Security Solution Leverages Face, Fingerprint Biometrics
  • TikTok Reaches $92 Million Settlement in BIPA Lawsuit
  • FacePhi Named Spain’s SME of the Year
  • Daon Passes 200,000 Users for VeriFLY Immunity Credential App

Biometric Associations

IBIA and fido
NEC IDelight

Tweets

Footer

  • About Us
  • Company Directory
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Archives

Follow Us

Copyright © 2021 FindBiometrics