BEIJING: AI tech that spots “undesirable” behaviour and long-distance facial recognition software were on show on Thursday at a Beijing expo attended by hundreds of companies — many blacklisted by the United States for their alleged role in repression in China and abroad.

The three-day Security China event bills itself as a showcase of the future of high-tech policing and is backed by Beijing’s commerce ministry and law enforcement bodies.

On Thursday the venue was packed with employees from across China’s security industry and prospective clients, including some foreign customers, as well as curious members of the public.

China is one of the most surveilled societies on Earth, with countless CCTV cameras scattered across cities and facial recognition technology widely used in both day-to-day law enforcement and political repression.

At one booth operated by AI software company SenseTime, sales representatives showed off smart cameras that can be set to recognise certain “undesirable” behaviours — including smoking, physical fights, and not wearing a mask.

Other cameras designed for installation at doorways and checkpoints have the ability to identify attempts to impersonate someone to gain access, such as by holding up a picture or wearing a mask resembling another person.—AFP