Policy designs for adaptive governance of disruptive technologies: the case of facial recognition technology (FRT) in China

Abstract

Recent regulations introduced by the Chinese government regarding big data technologies are welcome to those long concerned about the risks associated with their rapid deployment. However, these changes are not sufficient to safeguard privacy and data security. More importantly, these policies may not have fully accounted for the disruptive nature of these technologies. In this paper, we examine the need and the potential of new approaches in policy design regarding disruptive technologies by examining the case of facial recognition technology (FRT) in China. We argue that adaptive governance provides a useful framework for future policy design. Regulatory sandbox approach, policy mix and stakeholder engagement are among key policy measures to overcome regulatory challenges.

Keywords:

• Facial recognition technology
• data governance
• adaptive governance
• disruptive technology
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The search was carried out in 9^th, August 2022. The url link: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=facial%20recognition&queryLang=en%3Ade%3Afr