Everyone who passes through the checkpoint is checked against a database of faces and travel information, and if there is a suspicion they are a parallel trader the system will send an alert to the customs officials, the statement said. It did not say what would happen in the event of there being such a match.
Chinese authorities have introduced a new facial recognition system at two border checkpoints between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in a bid to crack down on “parallel traders”, a term used for people who buy tax-free goods in the former British colony and then resell them in the mainland.
According to a message posted by the General Administration of Customs on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service, the new system in place at the Shenzhen Bay and Lo Wu checkpoints will also speed up the processing time for people travelling between the two cities.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
