Ecuador tackles crime with Chinese facial recognition technology

Ecuador has decreased its crime rate by 24 percent by using facial recognition and other monitoring technology from China, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency, via the South China Morning Post.

The nation of 16.4 million people installed the ECU911 Integrated Security Service across its 24 provinces for use by the police, armed forces, and fire brigade in November 2016. The Xinhua report notes that Ecuador was ranked 11th safest among South American countries in 2010, and 4th safest in 2016.

The state-owned China National Electronics Import and Export Coalition (CEIEC), a subsidiary of China Electronics Corporation (CEC), helped set up the country’s Laboratory for Comprehensive Security Systems at the ECU911 headquarters in Quito. From the lab, experiments are being conducted to convert footage from surveillance cameras into data, and a mobile phone tracking system has been implemented which has helped to solve thousands of cases, according to the lab’s Director of Technical Innovation, Juan Carlos Leon.

CEC has also participated in projects in Brazil, Bolivia, and Venezuela, the Post reports.

Facial recognition has been deployed in the city of Cuenca, and at airports in Quito and Guayaquil, service Deputy Director Sixto Heras told Xinhua.

As previously reported, the Chinese government has been expanding its own use of facial recognition to monitor the population of Xinjiang.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  China  |  Ecuador  |  facial recognition  |  law enforcement