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Josephine Ma

The world is racing to use technology to achieve ever-greater convenience – with no final destination in sight.
Take subway tickets in Beijing, for example. Passengers 20 years ago had to line up at counters to obtain paper tickets, which they then handed to staff at the gates to enter train platforms.
Last month, a subway line linking downtown Beijing with Daxing International Airport debuted a new feature allowing passengers to enter and exit stations by scanning their palms.
All around the world, paper tickets have evolved into more advanced forms, from plastic tokens to magnetic cards and QR codes on smartphones. But it seems each new development is never convenient enough.
China brings digital yuan machines to Sanya to boost e-CNY use
In July 2020, the city of Harbin, capital of northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, added facial recognition as a payment method for boarding the subway. The facial scanning technology works even when passengers are wearing masks.
China is not alone in advancing biometric payments. E-payment giants such as Amazon and Mastercard are piloting biometric payment methods, and the market could be worth US$18.6 billion by 2026, according to KBV Research.
While convenience is a huge benefit, some analysts have raised questions about how to strike a balance between convenience and privacy.
Biometrics refers to technology that recognises an individual based on their unique biometric characteristics such as facial and hand geometry, as well as fingerprints.
The technology has also raised questions about how to set up guardrails to prevent fraud, tracking and other data misuse. In the face of public concern, businesses and governments have made pledges about privacy protection, though they might not be enough to remove all the worries of civil rights groups and privacy advocates.
Biometric payment is just one example of the many new technological developments that bring convenience at the cost of privacy.


Another example is the Internet of Things (IoT), a term describing the network of sensor and software-enabled objects – from smart refrigerators to home security and heating systems – that allows them to connect and exchange data with other devices and the internet.
According to Stacy-Ann Elvy, a law professor at the University of California Davis School of Law, the rapid development of IoT raises pressing privacy concerns despite its benefits because IoT devices can collect vast quantities of data about people’s daily habits and activities.
“IoT devices can be used by various entities to colonise and obtain access to people’s homes and bodies while potentially decreasing their anonymity,” Elvy said in a 2022 article published on Unesco’s website.
Another technological innovation at the centre of the conflict between convenience and privacy is central bank digital currency (CBDC).
Unlike cryptocurrencies, which can hide the identity of parties involved in transactions and have been criticised by governments for facilitating money laundering, CBDC in theory provides real-time transaction information to governments.
China has been the front runner in introducing a CBDC, dubbed the digital-yuan, as it is eager to bypass the US-dominated Swift payment network. Some local governments have begun to pay civil servants, tax rebates and government suppliers with digital yuan in recent months.
Chinese city plans to pay employees using digital currency
Australia, India and Hong Kong are among the regions that have launched or are planning to launch CBDC pilots, and privacy is at the centre of the public debate.
Governments, including China, have proposed different disclosure requirements for different types of transactions to allay fears of privacy infringement. For example, the Chinese government has said parties involved in small transactions could stay anonymous and it would only require information for big or suspicious transactions.
Beijing also argues people’s privacy is better protected with the digital yuan because their data will not be given to commercial operators. However, that also means the data will be centralised by the government.
These are just some examples of the trade-offs between convenience and privacy we must grapple with as technology accelerates.
Convenience should not be the only goal of technological advancement. Privacy is no less important in the equation.


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Science

In technological race for greater convenience, we must not leave privacy in the dust

Passengers who register their palm prints can pay for rides on Beijing’s Daxing Airport Express line using only their hands at designated turnstiles.  Photo: Handout

Tencent launches palm payments in Beijing, allowing metro passengers to pay with the wave of a hand

Tencent’s new palm-recognition service for WeChat Pay allows users to pay at designated metro turnstiles operating on Beijing’s airport express line by placing their hands over a scanner. Photo: Handout

China launches digital yuan ATMs in tropical Sanya, allowing tourists to exchange foreign cash for e-CNY

A smartphone shows the app for China’s digital yuan in Suzhou on December 14, 2020. Photo: Kyodo

A visitor displays a cup of coffee purchased with China’s digital yuan, or e-CNY, at an exhibition of the 6th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeastern Fujian Province, on April 26, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese city of Changshu plans to pay employees using digital yuan

Local authorities have adopted a number of pilot schemes to promote the digital currency. Photo: Xinhua

China digital currency: e-CNY included in official cash figures for first time

The ongoing pilot scheme for China’s digital yuan has been expanded to 26 large cities and 5.6 million merchants, with an accumulated transaction value of 100 billion yuan (US$12.2 billion) at the end of August. Photo: Xinhua

The ongoing pilot scheme for China’s digital yuan has been expanded to 26 large cities and 5.6 million merchants, with an accumulated transaction value of 100 billion yuan (US$12.2 billion) at the end of August. Photo: AP

Opinion

China and other countries are quickly adopting biometric payment methods and digital currency for everyday needs, but many worry this comes at a cost
The tech also raises questions about how to set up guardrails to prevent fraud, tracking and other data misuse


China and other countries are quickly adopting biometric payment methods, digital currency and IoT tech for everyday needs, but many worry progress comes at a cost.


China technology

Technology

Facial recognition

China digital currency

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Opinion | In technological race for greater convenience, we must not leave privacy in the dust

China and other countries are quickly adopting biometric payment methods and digital currency for everyday needs, but many worry this comes at a cost The tech also raises questions about how to set up guardrails to prevent fraud, tracking and other data misuse

China and other countries are quickly adopting biometric payment methods and digital currency for everyday needs, but many worry this comes at a cost

The tech also raises questions about how to set up guardrails to prevent fraud, tracking and other data misuse