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WF-4QF6KO

AI emotion-detection software tested on Uyghurs in Xinjiang

A software engineer alleged that AI-based emotion-detection cameras were installed in police stations in Xinjiang and tested on Uyghur detainees. The system, placed three metres from subjects, analysed facial expressions and skin pores to create a pie chart indicating emotional state, with red suggesting anxiety, which was used as an indication of guilt. The engineer claimed the software was intended for 'pre-judgement without any credible evidence'. Human Rights Watch described the material as shocking, and the Chinese embassy denied the existence of such technology.

Date it happened
2021-05-26
Organisation involved
Chinese government
Product, system or model
Emotion detection camera
Where this came from
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This incident was imported from bbc.co.uk. Our additions to it — the structured fields, the translation, the checks against other reports — are published under the same licence.

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