Many systems rely on basic facial recognition that analyzes the spaces between facial features. It is still unclear how many employees were involved or how surveillance footage was obtained. An official investigation is now underway into the case. The whistleblower, identified as Lee, said he reported the matter to higher authorities in October and was promised a response by December 31. The story has sparked angry reactions online. One commenter wrote: "This is corruption". Chinese authorities have uncovered a clever and cheap scheme by which government employees are dodging work by manipulating facial recognition systems. They wore paper masks printed with photos of their colleagues to clock in for work without actually being present. The scheme was applied in Zhejiang province, where several officials were reported for falsifying attendance records using masks designed specifically for facial recognition. Surveillance camera footage shows several employees carrying printed masks and taking turns clocking in on a timekeeping device. Many people struggle to find work". Others pointed to flaws in facial recognition technology itself. According to reports, all attempts were accepted by the system. One person was able to clock in several employees just by switching masks. The report claims that the district party secretary was behind the attempts, who was seen using a mask in public to clock in, despite a camera being mounted above the device. When questioned, the secretary gave an evasive answer. They should all be fired and legally punished. If the degree of similarity exceeds a certain threshold, access is granted, and this vulnerability has been known for years; a 2022 report by the Legal Daily newspaper found that paper face masks costing no more than five dollars can trick some facial recognition systems.
