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I'm sorry, I do not understand the alarmist tone.

Yes, in many cases the uses of tech in China are disturbing (like the supposedly planned social credit system).

But this case? It's the job of the police to find people. Facial recognition helps it (although, I suspect, it won't be as flawless as advertised). How is it functionally different from the recognition tech in airports? Because the cops look scarier?

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Even the police/government can contain bad actors, some might even like the cover.

The problem is when access to private data goes beyond the need, probabilistically people will abuse it, especially people with an authoritarian slant that are tripping on the power.

So how is it different?

The police can access files online anyway, it's just a matter of convenience. Most likely, the online databases are now accessible on mobiles.

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