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Sleeping Chinese man robbed of life savings as smartphone’s facial recognition system is caught napping ZHEJIANG (China) — A facial recognition system failed to protect a Chinese man from a pair of sneak thieves who managed to unlock his phone while he was sleeping and steal his life savings of more 12,000 yuan (S$2,421), according to a local television news report. The man from Zhejiang province, identified only as Mr Yuan, contacted the police on Tuesday after noticing the money had disappeared from his bank account, the report said. Following an investigation, officers charged Mr Yuan’s two roommates with the theft, saying they unlocked the phone while the victim was sleeping and used WeChat Pay to transfer the funds to their own accounts. The stolen cash was later returned to Mr Yuan. The report did not name the brand of phone, but an unnamed police officer said it cost about 1,000 yuan. “It seems the facial recognition feature on Mr Yuan’s phone isn’t very reliable,” he said. “We conducted our own tests and found you could unlock it even with the eyes closed.” Many smartphones are fitted with a facial recognition system as a security device, but not all require iris scanning, so they can be unlocked more easily. China leads the world in facial recognition technology and it is rapidly becoming a feature of people’s day-to-day lives. Biometric computer applications that cross-reference huge databases of digital images and employ a variety of technologies, including iris scanning, are now widely used by security and surveillance teams to spot everyone from suspected criminals to jaywalkers Mr Tan Jianfeng, founder of Shanghai Zhongren Network Security, said that while fingerprint and facial recognition systems were useful, people should continue to use personal identification numbers to keep their personal data and finances safe. “If a password is lost, you can change it, but biometric information is not reproducible,” he said. “Once it has been leaked, you can’t get a new face. In the era of big data, once a biometric authentication has been completed all of that information is converted into machine code – and as long as it is in that form it can be intercepted.” In 2015, China’s Ministry of Public Security launched a project to build the world’s most powerful facial recognition database Its aim is to be able to identify any of the country’s more than 1.3 billion citizens — by matching facial scans with the images on their identity cards — within three seconds and with an accuracy rate of 90 per cent. Meanwhile, Chinese technology companies like Tencent, which developed WeChat Pay, have adopted facial recognition systems for use in retail, travel and mobile payments. People can also now withdraw cash from ATMs using facial recognition. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

New traffic management systems to be tested on expressways and major roads: LTA SINGAPORE - Motorists on some roads will start seeing new cameras this week. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be testing Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera systems meant to help with traffic enforcement at various locations along expressways and major roads until 2019. Dedicated Short Range Communications beacons, which aim to enhance positioning accuracy, are also being tested. "These tests will enable LTA to determine the performance and reliability of such technologies under various real-life environmental and traffic conditions for future traffic management systems which will leverage Global Navigation Satellite System technology," the LTA said on Monday (March 26). The new equipment, which do not require heavy physical infrastructure, will be mounted on overhead bridges, overhead gantry signs and lamp posts. The devices will also be placed on vehicles and deployed at areas like Tuas South from April before expanding to the rest of the country.

Has anyone received your NS recognition award or part thereof. Announced last year but so far have not heard of anyone getting it.

Any one gotten their NSRA yet, since it is disburse in Febuary ?

Terrible accident. I wonder how fast the car is driving, to be crashed like that - taking into consideration that it is a hard-bodied Volvo, and not some soft-metal makes. =================== 24-yr-old driver stuck in wreck for 30 minutes By Bryna Sim HE HAD just finished work yesterday at 7pm and was preparing for bed. But the sharp, screeching sound of tyres, followed by a loud bang, dashed his plans. Safety coordinator Francis Amutha, 33, an Indian national, dashed out of his office at the upcoming Lucida condominium construction site immediately to see what had happened. The first thing he felt was fear. 'I was so scared that someone had died,' he said. As he ran out of the compound with about 30 fellow Indian and Chinese nationals, they saw smoke billowing from a twisted heap of metal. According to the police, a car had skidded and hit a tree. It occurred at the junction of Thomson Road and Suffolk Road, near the Kampung Java flyover. Because the driver's side was badly damaged, Mr Amutha and some others approached the passenger's side instead. 'We forced open the passenger side car door, and I saw a man trapped inside,' said Mr Amutha. He called out to the driver and was relieved to find out that he was still alive. SCDF personnel confirmed that the driver of the black Volvo car was a 24-year old male Chinese. Mr Amutha asked the man: 'Hello sir, are you okay? 'When he answered me, I was relieved.' He then asked the man if he could try to get out of the wreckage himself, but the man replied that his legs were stuck. Together with some other Chinese nationals armed with crowbars, Mr Amutha decided to try to prise open the door on the driver's side. But they were stopped by Dr Chia Kok Hoong, 48, a surgeon, who lives at the condominium Ten @ Suffolk, located just next to the Lucida condominium construction site. He was at home when he heard the bang and decided to see what had happened. 'Don't move him' Said Dr Chia: 'I told the workers not to move the driver because they did not have the right equipment and might end up injuring him further.' He was also concerned that the driver might have broken bones. 'If that were so, pressure from the wreckage might actually prevent more blood from escaping, whereas releasing this pressure might lead to the driver bleeding further,' he said. Mr Amutha took his advice, and told his fellow workers to bring fire extinguishers and strong searchlights from their construction site instead. 'I didn't want to stand around doing nothing. Since smoke was coming out from the car, I thought that the extinguishers would be useful in case a fire broke out,' he said. Dr Chia also spoke with the driver, who was still conscious. 'He gave me his name and home number, and asked me to contact his family,' said Dr Chia. SCDF personnel who arrived at the scene extricated the driver with a hydraulic spreader and cutter in 25 minutes. 'The driver is suspected to have sustained a right thigh fracture, left shoulder dislocation, as well as abrasions and cuts,' said an SCDF spokesman. The police spokesman added that the driver was taken conscious to Tan Tok Seng hospital. He was trapped in his seat for about 30 minutes. According to Dr Chia, the driver's parents and another woman arrived at the scene just in time to see him being wheeled into the waiting ambulance. 'They thanked me and were glad to know that a doctor was with their son,' he said. For Mr Amutha and his fellow workers, it was a night to remember. He said: 'I have been here since 1997 and this is the first time I've seen such a terrible accident.' Even so, he was glad to have been of help. He said the searchlights were useful. 'We directed the searchlights at the wreckage and assisted the SCDF personnel,' he said. He's also glad to have put his training as safety coordinator into practice. 'I'm glad that the man is alive,' he added.

just saw this Garmin Nuvi 800 with speech recognition feature... Dunno the price yet, but certainly beyond my budget! I am probably getting Nuvi200 for time being...