The Chinese government is set to bring into execution a new rule this December that will require its citizens to undergo and pass a facial recognition test in order to be able to use the internet.
The announcement had been previously by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Also, those who want to sign for a new mobile or landline number must also pass the test. The rule will come into effect on the first day of December 2019.
The policy requires all of China’s telecommunication carriers to update their services’ terms and conditions and notify their subscribers that they would not be able to transfer their SIM cards to the others by the end of November 2019.
The telecommunication companies have also been directed to verify that mobile or landline phone numbers are correctly registered with real names. Those under false names should be investigated and closed.
MIIT stated that the rule is to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in cyberspace.
