The Coronavirus Effect: Facial Recognition Useless Due to Face Masks

The face masks used by a growing number of the Chinese are rendering facial recognition systems across the country useless, according to a report.

Facial recognition is employed by various services in the country, including not only for mobile phones, but also for accessing bank accounts, ordering food, boarding a plane, and even receiving toilet paper in public restrooms.

But all these services are now much harder to use due to the face masks that millions are wearing, especially as the local authorities themselves recommended the Chinese to cover their faces when leaving the house.

Facial recognition useless

A report from Quartz cites people complaining that facial recognition is pretty much useless due to these face masks, and apparently mobile devices are among the ones generating the most frustration.

Devices like Apple iPhone and Huawei high-end sm…