Macau Police Testing 100 Face and Vehicle Recognition Cameras

Macau police have announced plans for a facial and object recognition trial that leverages the city’s extensive network of CCTV surveillance cameras. Fifty cameras will be selected for the facial recognition test, while another 50 will be selected for license plate recognition.

The cameras are being installed as part of Macau’s ongoing, four-phase rollout of 1,620 security cameras throughout the city. According to the Unitary Police Service Assistant to the Commissioner-General João Augusto da Rosa, Macau’s CCTV system has helped solve more than 2,000 cases since it was first implemented in 2016.

The facial recognition test is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2020, when they will be gathering footage outside of Macau’s numerous hotels and casinos. Macau police representatives distinguished the program from similar surveillance systems in mainland China, stating that the police would follow appropriate guidelines to protect people’s privacy.  

While the US has recently seen pushback against the police use of facial recognition, the technology is fairly prevalent in Macau. Government authorities first announced plans for a facial recognition border control system in 2015. Cameras have also been used to catch banned individuals and prevent money laundering in casinos, and for identity verification at ATMs.

Sources: Macau News, Macau Daily Times

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September 4, 2019 – by Eric Weiss

Like all biometrics solutions, face recognition technology measures and matches the unique characteristics for the purposes of identification or authentication. Often leveraging a digital or connected camera, facial recognition software can detect faces in images, quantify their features, and then match them against stored templates in a database.

Face scanning biometric tech is incredibly versatile and this is reflected in its wide range of potential applications. Learn more on FindBiometrics’ Facial Recognition page.