China bans facial recognition in hotels, bathrooms
www.theregister.com
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  • IllNess@infosec.pubEnglish
    2·
    10 days ago

    The rules also ban the use of facial recognition equipment in public places such as hotel rooms, public bathrooms, public dressing rooms, and public toilets.

    This makes sense.

    But this also means private businesses are still allowed to use facial recognition everywhere else you aren’t getting naked, lie a hotel lobby.

      • Funky_Beak@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        0·
        10 days ago

        I was jet lagged and walked naked out of my hotel room thinking i was still at home. The walk of shame to the lobby was… an experience.

          • Funky_Beak@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
            1·
            9 days ago

            It was just like a dream. I ended up on the wrong floor, which was mirrored exactly like my floor. I think I located my room so I knock on the door (to wake my partner) and this poor woman (who was not said partner) answers the door. That was about then I decided I should probably talk to a staff member. hind sight lucky I wasn’t arrested.

            • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
              0·
              9 days ago

              oh man this just get worse and worse. you left out a juicy bit. how did you get to staff? did you find something to hide your shame?

              • Funky_Beak@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
                0·
                6 days ago

                OK I probably should start from the beginning. I had just gotten off the plane flying from Aus to Barcelona. Jet-lagged as he’ll I went to the basement bar and had some amazing mojitos. Liquor laws are a bit different in Australia so usually a cocktail is only 1 standard drink. Barcelona they have no such restriction so each of these is like 4 or 5 standard and I have 6. By the time I get to the room I’m feeling pretty toasty and decide to have a shower. I must have lost my memory of the past 20 hours down the drain because I then went auto pilot thinking I was in my own house and needing a glass of water begun the motions of walking out of my hotel room to go to the kitchen. Some fortunate reason I had a hand towel but it was only like halfway down a hall I realised I wasn’t at my house. So covering myself I begin trying to retrace my steps. This resulted in somehow ending up on the floor below knocking on some poor unfortunate persons door. By that point I decided to head to the counter which is also a restraunt. Luckily it was midnight so it was closed. The person at the counter was chill and helped me back to my room. Ride in the old counterweights lift that at best holds 3 people so it was intimate. Woke up the next day filled with shame and a blossoming hangover to remind me why I don’t drink.

                • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
                  0·
                  6 days ago

                  This sates my appetite but I still have internal questions because I have not been to spain. Like im picturing something like faulty towers but the desk moved to the opposite wall between the kitchen and dining room.

  • notabot@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    10 days ago

    The rules also ban the use of facial recognition equipment in public places such as hotel rooms, public bathrooms, public dressing rooms, and public toilets.

    Why was there facial recognition, or any other sort of camera, in those places in the first place? Has something been mangled in the translation, is it a fuss about nothing, or were organisations genuinely going “hmm, we need to check your face before you can use the restrooms”?

    • klu9@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      10 days ago

      Chinese fintech giant Alipay has for some years now had the “Smile to Pay” system: Alipay users can pay for something by just smiling into the camera in an Alipay “Smile to Pay” POS terminal. IIRC KFC was the first place to have it.

      In China, many operators of public toilets seek to prevent theft of toilet paper (I shit you not 😉) by having some kind of rationed dispenser (a certain user can only receive a certain amount of paper in a certain amount of time) or a vending machine.

      Public toilet + toilet paper vending machine + “Smile to Pay” = facial recognition in toilets.

      In fact, I think a few wanted fugitives have been caught (out?) by the cameras on toilet paper vending machines.

      • pycorax@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        9 days ago

        Chinese fintech giant Alipay has for some years now had the “Smile to Pay” system: Alipay users can pay for something by just smiling into the camera in an Alipay “Smile to Pay” POS terminal. IIRC KFC was the first place to have it.

        I thought you were kidding but who the hell thought this ridiculous concept was a good idea? Putting aside the security implications, did no one see how absurd it is?