Analysis of the Legal Restrictions of Facial Recognition——From the Perspective of Wechat's Use of Facial Recognition Technology to Identify Criminals

Abstract

The facial information collected by facial recognition technology belongs to the biometric information that should be protected by the relevant sensitive information laws or regulations. Because of the importance and uniqueness of facial information, we need to use facial information legally so as not to violate people's right to privacy and equality. In this article, we explore the norms for the use of facial recognition technology by private organisations, such as WeChat, which uses facial recognition technology to track down criminals who sexually assault young people. Specifically, we discuss several aspects, including the photos collected by private organizations that fall under the jurisdiction of the law, the consent or permission of the relevant public sectors before the private organization uses facial recognition technology, the consent of users before their photos are used, and the compliance to avoid violating the rights to equality and privacy.