Hong Kong Police Have Had AI Facial Recognition Tech for Years, Sparking Fears of Mainland-Style Surveillance

Fears are growing that Hong Kong law enforcement authorities are using artificial intelligence facial recognition software.

A police officer wearing a pair of smart glasses fitted with a facial recognition system at the Zhengzhou East Railway Station in Zhengzhou City, in China's central Henan Province on Feb. 5, 2018. AFP/Getty Images

As the Hong Kong protests continue into their fifth month, and police brutality intensifies, fears are growing that law enforcement authorities are using artificial intelligence facial recognition software from a Sydney-based company to quell the ongoing pro-democracy protests.

For at least three years, Sydney-based iOmniscient has been supplying law enforcement authorities in Hong Kong with software that can match faces from any video footage to police databases, reported Bloomberg.