News that Beijing authorities trialed facial recognition as part of a broader "passenger credit system" sparked concerns about privacy, surveillance and loss of rights. 

The Beijing Subway said it would implement a facial recognition system as part of its "passenger credit system" to process fares payments and identify and classify passengers as they enter subway stations. The system was to be trailed on the airport metro line, with plans for wider implementation if deemed successful.

The classification was intended to streamline security checks by sorting passengers into different channels based on their profiles, creating a "white list" of passengers deemed low-risk and allowed them to pass through security checks more quickly. Conversely, those flagged by the system due to "abnormal feedback" would undergo additional sc