Tencent Games Harnesses Facial Recognition to Expose Hiding Minors

ZHANG YUSHUO

(Yicai Global) June 18 — Tencent’s gaming arm has debuted a facial recognition method to make sure that players are not minors who have borrowed their parents’ ID cards to sign up.

When logging in or adding credit, some account holders who are suspected to have used their parents’ IDs to register, will be asked to verify their identities via facial recognition, Tencent Games said in a statement yesterday. Suspicious behavior would include spending more than CNY400 (USD56.40) every month, or otherwise, a sudden surge in credit.

Tencent Games began to create a minor protection system in 2017. Next year, it started requiring users to sign up with their legal names.

Those who do not pass the face ID test will be subject to minors’ gaming limitations, such as being allowed to play only 1.5 hours a day during weekdays and 3 hours a day during weekends and national holidays. At all times, they cannot log in between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Because facial recognition doesn’t have a unified national standard, Tencent Games will be very cautious in gradually exploring the technology, considering a balance between user privacy, information security, and minor protection, the Shenzhen-based parent’s unit added.

Editor: Emmi Laine