Hong Kong aims to add facial recognition to public CCTVs this year: police chief

Hong Kong’s surveillance cameras are expected to incorporate facial recognition technology as early as this year, pending the resolution of legal and technical issues, according to the city’s police chief.Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming also said on Sunday that the force would prioritise linking closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in high-traffic and strategically located shopping centres into the force’s SmartView system, noting that operators had “responded positively” to the plan.The force previously indicated that facial recognition technology could be adopted in the system by the end of last year, but Chow said that some legal and technical issues had to be addressed.“The adaptability of our colleagues, the level of acceptance among the public and the legal framework – these are all areas we are working on,” Chow said in a televised interview.“I hope that we can introduce [facial recognition technology] in the near future … I cannot say with certainty whether it will happen this year, but of course, I hope we can. If not, I hope it will be next year.”Commissioner of Police Joe Chow. Photo: Jelly TseChow said the force would tell the public before deploying the facial recognition technology.