Hong Kong facial recognition goes live later this month: police will switch on artificial intelligence facial recognition across their CCTV network, the SmartView system. The tool will be used to speed up searches for suspects in criminal investigations and to locate high-risk missing persons.
What changes in the SmartView network
According to police, around 10,000 cameras have already been installed under SmartView, and a further 10,000 cameras from government departments and public organisations are already connected to the system. Covered locations include Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong International Airport, cross-harbour tunnels, MTR stations and public housing estates.
When the tool will be used
Superintendent Raymond Cheng said facial recognition can be switched on at any time on all police cameras, as well as on third-party feeds integrated into SmartView. He added, however, that it will only be triggered during active criminal searches or to locate high-risk missing persons, in order to save resources. In pilot tests, the technology has already helped officers arrest a robbery suspect and locate an elderly man with dementia within 1.5 hours of him being reported missing.
Data retention and privacy
Hong Kong facial recognition also raises a privacy debate. CCTV footage will be kept for a maximum of 31 days. Photos of individuals captured by facial recognition, together with metadata such as location, date, time and facial characteristics, may be retained for up to 180 days. At least four shopping malls have agreed to connect their CCTV feeds to the police network — according to RTHK, they are Tuen Mun Town Plaza, Olympian City, Kwai Chung Shopping Centre and Sierra Life in Fanling. Police say equipping the network with facial recognition and connecting mall cameras would not breach local privacy laws.
Expansion through 2031
The expansion of Hong Kong facial recognition goes hand in hand with camera installation: police have been installing cameras in public places with high crime rates and heavy pedestrian flow since 2024, aiming to reach 60,000 cameras by 2028 and cover the whole city. A further 6,500 cameras will be installed in the developing Northern Metropolis after 2028, bringing the total to around 66,500 by 2031. Since the project began, the network has helped solve nearly 2,200 criminal cases and led to more than 2,800 arrests, according to the force.
Image credit: South China Morning Post (SCMP) — photo of surveillance cameras in Hong Kong, published in a report on facial recognition in the police network.
Sources
- HK Businesswire — Police to deploy facial recognition on CCTV networks
- Dimsum Daily — Hong Kong police activate AI facial recognition on CCTV network this month
- news.gov.hk — District governance: Cameras boost security (SmartView)
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on cross-checking public posts and internet sources, and reviewed against the original sources cited below. We recommend consulting the original sources for more details.
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