Beijing News reported on September 4, 2017, that this year’s incoming class of 2,626 freshmen are required to have their faces scanned as part of the university’s induction procedure. The new technology was first tested in 13 of the university’s student halls earlier in May, before being installed in all dormitories in mid-August. Students can verify their identity by swiping their university card in the machine, before either saying their own name or scanning their face. If they are unable to be identified by their face or their voice, students can also manually enter a password linked to their university card. The system’s voice recognition technology recognises 26 regional accents, according to the report.

(Comment: Facial recognition technology is on the verge of becoming mainstream in China, where it can be used to board planes, access cash machines and verify online payments.)