"China Collects Voice, Iris, and Chromosome Data from Citizens"... Installing CCTV to Monitor Residents

"For People's Control and Supervision"
Collecting Male 'Y Chromosomes' to Identify Relatives

Demonstration of facial recognition technology in Fujian Province, southern China.
Photo by Baidu capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] It has been identified that China has installed 500 million closed-circuit (CC) CCTV cameras nationwide to collect citizens' voices, iris, and chromosome information.

Recently, the New York Times (NYT) reported, "China has built a 'super-advanced surveillance society' through CCTV that can grasp individuals' private activities and social relationships." In particular, China has extensively installed CCTV cameras not only in public places but also in karaoke rooms, entrances of apartment complexes, hotel lobbies, and more.

The NYT stated, "After analyzing bidding documents prepared by Chinese public security for purchasing surveillance equipment for over a year, it was found that devices capable of collecting voice through CCTV are being attached." The collected voices undergo vocal cord analysis and are compiled into a database (DB) along with the individual's facial photos.

It is also reported that Chinese public security is massively collecting men's Y chromosomes. They established the first large-scale Y chromosome data center in Henan Province in 2014, and have since added more centers, with at least 25 out of 31 provinces in China now housing Y chromosome data centers.

Due to the characteristic that Y chromosomes do not undergo genetic recombination, securing one person's Y chromosome allows easy identification of the identities of his male relatives.

Additionally, China established a data center in 2017 in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which has faced heavy criticism for ethnic minority oppression, capable of storing iris information of 30 million people.

Public security in southeastern Fujian Province reportedly holds 2.52 billion facial photos of citizens. This number exceeds China's total population of 1.5 billion and is three times the 836 million photos held by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Fujian authorities wrote in the bidding documents for purchasing surveillance equipment that the purpose was "to control and supervise the people."

China's facial recognition AI crowd monitoring system.
Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, China's state-run Global Times reported that the Traffic Management Bureau installed facial recognition devices and screens at major city intersections in Shandong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and other cities to prevent jaywalking.

Pedestrians who violate signals can immediately see their violation on the screen as they cross the street. This device captures photos and 15-second videos of pedestrians crossing during a red light and posts them instantly on the screen.

When an official compares the captured photos with those registered at the public security bureau to verify identity, the violator's ID photo and home address are displayed on the screen within 20 minutes. Pedestrians caught violating the rules must pay a fine of 20 yuan (approximately 3,200 KRW) and undergo 30 minutes of traffic rule education or 20 minutes of traffic service.

Through this facial recognition device, Zibo City in Shandong Province enforced over 6,000 jaywalking violations in early last month.

The price of each device is 100,000 yuan (approximately 16 million KRW), and public security plans to install facial recognition devices at 50 major intersections within this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.