Big Brother-style facial recognition installed at Bejing tube station

A metro station in Bejing has begun using a facial-recognition system to sort passengers during rush hour.

The Big Brother-esque technology has been set up at the entrance to the station in the capital city and collects data on individuals as they enter.

According to local media, it will be able to sort passengers into different channels based on a ‘credit system’ and therefore ease congestion at crowded times during the day.

Any bags larger than a sheet of A4 paper have to be scanned separately.

Zhan Minghui, director of the Beijing Rail Traffic Control Center, told an urban transportation forum that it will improve efficiency.

‘The technique aims to improve the efficiency of security checks and includes both body checks and luggage screening when large numbers of passengers enter the station,’ he said, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.

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Although the move is in keeping with China’s increased rollout of surveillance technology, not everyone is sold on the idea. Even some of China’s tightly-regulated media have raised some concerns. China Central Television has called for laws to be introduced to regulate the proliferation of surveillance tech.

The company behind the system at the metro station, Beijing Ruubypay Science and Technology Co, hasn’t confirmed whether or not it will be rolled out to other stations in the city.