Dahua Offers "Non Han Chinese People" Analytics, Confirms Shanghai Sales Manager
While Dahua alleged its racial analytic cameras were old, Radio Free Asia confirmed with Dahua's Shanghai office this week that the company offers "Non Han Chinese People" (不是汉人) analytics, IPVM verified by listening to the recording.
Dahua refused to comment on this despite us asking them 4 times over 5 days; Meanwhile, Dahua did respond last week to IPVM's discovery of webpages on Dahua's own website identifying four Dahua camera models that specify video analytics that can detect "race," "skin color," and "Xinjiang/Tibet" facial attributes, calling those pages old and affirming a "commitment to never develop solutions to identify a single ethnic, racial or national group" that a day later a Dahua Shanghai sales manager contradicted.
Dahua Manager Confirms Race Analytics
Radio Free Asia contacted Dahua on October 18 under the guise of a customer inquiry to determine whether the company offers race analytics. IPVM listened to the entirety of both conversations and translated the full conversations from Chinese to English.
The reporter asked:
他 [IPVM] 提到了有4款大华的相机可以识别一些，比如说，比如说可以做一些人脸表情的 识别，或者是一些种族、族群的特征这样的一些内容。我不知道是技术上真的能达到吗？这个有这样的功能吗？
They [IPVM] mentioned that there are 4 Dahua cameras that can recognize facial expressions, or some racial and ethnic characteristics. I don't know if it's technically possible? Does such a function exist? [Emphasis added]
The sales manager confirmed this:
啊，确实有。
Indeed, there is [we have].
The RFA reporter asked a minute later about detecting non-Han Chinese people:
它就讲到我们这边有几款相机，这种有有识别，包括对一些特定的人群，像一些，比如说不是汉人的。他说可以识别的出来我不知道这个是怎么可以做到啊什么的？就感觉很神奇，因为我们在国外呆久了，好像这一块儿还不是太知道。这个就是我们这边有技术能达到是吗？
[IPVM] mentioned that there are several cameras, which can do recognition, including some specific groups of people, like for example, groups that are not Han Chinese. They said this can be identified. I don't know how this can be done. This is fascinating. Because I've been abroad for a long time so I'm not very familiar. Is this technology capable of this? [Emphasis added]
The Dahua sales manager unequivocally confirms:
是的，没错。
Yes, that's right.
Han Chinese account for 91.11% of the PRC's population, per China Daily state media.
The RFA reporter asked more detailed questions, specifically about targeting Uyghurs and Tibetans:
比如说我们是需要，需要对一些特定的人群，比如说，维吾尔人或者是藏人什么的，这是我对你们感兴趣的原因。我看到这4款里边有一个人种识别，所以这种人种识别能不能达到，这是我很关切的问题。
Let's say we need to target certain groups of people, such as Uyghurs or Tibetans. This is why I am interested. I saw that there is a race identification function in these 4 models, so whether this kind of race identification can be achieved is a question that I am very concerned about. [Emphasis Added]
The manager responded:
人种识别的检测能不，能达到怎么达到，对不对？这个我跟我们售前和产品经理沟通一下，
因为有可能那只是一个前端相机， 我们可能要搭配后端的平台来实现整个数据链的互通嘛， 因为我采集了这些信息，我肯定要分析嘛， 放在平台上用一些数据可视化让你去看. So racial recognition detection, can it be achieved and how, is that right? I need to check with our pre-sale and product managers. Because that might be just a front-end camera and we need to supply a back-end platform to integrate the whole data flow. Because we capture this information and will then have to analyze and put it on a platform to visualize for the client.
Upon further clarification, the Dahua sales manager also stated that Dahua can build a back-end platform with the racial identification customization feature:
我前端的抓拍相机，我能够去拾取这些功能，但是我需要后端有一个平台去给客户做一个展示，去分析。
The front-end camera may have the feature to pick up information, but you need a back-end platform to display to customers and perform the analysis.
The Dahua sales manager's confirmation to RFA shows that Dahua continues to sell racial identification technology, regardless of its repeated denials and excuses.