A government trade minister held a one-on-one meeting with a facial recognition firm accused of enabling the Chinese government’s campaign of persecution against Uighur Muslims, the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have established. Graham Stuart, a minister at the Department for International Trade (DIT), met representatives from SenseTime, a Hong Kong-based surveillance technology firm, on 11 June last year to discuss the use of artificial intelligence and data in higher education. The disclosure comes after the British government announced it would allow crucial technology from another controversial Chinese firm, Huawei, to play a limited role in the UK’s 5G infrastructure. SenseTime’s website details products including a “sign-in” system which “helps to prevent cheating during exams” and an “entertainment system” which uses facial recognition to “encourage [students] to smile more”. Stuart’s meeting with SenseTime took place during London Tech Week two months previously in June.

Source: The Guardian January 29, 2020 11:33 UTC