Chinese surveillance equipment manufacturer Dahua has been accused of selling cameras in Europe that come with a skin colour analytics feature, according to a report by the US-based security and surveillance industry research group IPVM. The report highlights that the analytics allow the cameras to detect and categorize individuals based on their skin colour, with options including yellow, black, and white. This controversial feature raises concerns about racial profiling and potential human rights violations.
The IPVM report also reveals that in February 2021, Dahua supplied the Chinese police with a video surveillance system that included real-time Uyghur warnings. The system involved the detection of eyebrow size, skin colour, and ethnicity. Dahua, along with another Chinese video surveillance company called Hikvision, has reportedly won contracts worth $1 billion from the government of China’s Xinjiang province since 2016.
Dahua’s ICC Open Platform guide for human body characteristics includes a section on skin colour/complexion, as per the IPVM report. While Dahua defended the feature as a basic feature of a smart security solution, the inclusion of skin colour analytics in surveillance technology raises significant concerns about privacy, equality, and ethical implications.
Skin colour detection is mentioned in the Personnel Control category of Dahua’s Smart Office Park solution, designed to provide security for large corporate campuses in China. The camera’s analytics attempt to determine an individual’s skin colour based on their appearance in video footage. However, the accuracy of such technology has been questioned, particularly in low-light or shadowy conditions.
Experts argue that surveillance software with skin tone analytics poses a risk to privacy rights, human rights, and non-discrimination. Critics contend that it enables racial profiling on a large scale, potentially without individuals’ knowledge or consent. Efforts to ban facial recognition systems in public places have been gaining momentum globally, with the European Union passing a proposal to revise its draft Artificial Intelligence Law, aiming to completely prohibit the use of such systems.
Dahua denies manufacturing surveillance products specifically designed for racial identification. In a statement, the company said, Contrary to allegations made by certain media outlets, Dahua Technology has not and never will develop solutions targeting any specific ethnic group.
The inclusion of skin colour analytics raises concerns about the impact of surveillance technology on individuals’ rights, privacy, and societal discrimination. As the use of such technologies continues to expand, there is an urgent need for robust regulations and accountability measures to safeguard against potential abuses.
