Photo: VCG

The Social Credit Regulation of South China's Guangdong Province, which is expected to come into effect on June 1, prohibits the collection of biometric information from citizens.

The regulation was adopted at the 30th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th People's Congress of Guangdong Province on March 18. It emphasizes the protection of personal information and prohibits the collection of information such as religious belief, medical history and biometric information from citizens. It also stipulates that entities must inform when collecting credit information.

A regulation on social credit in Tianjin, which took effect on January 1, 2021, was the nation's first legislation banning the collection of biometric data from citizens, including facial recognition data. 

The city of Dalian, in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, also rolled out its citywide social credit regulation prohibiting the collection of biometric information. The regulation will take effect on July 1.