BEIJING - The recent launch of the futuristic iPhone X has triggered a hot-button global debate on Facial Identification (Face ID) technology, citing potential safety risks the fledgling technology could pose. APPLE: FACE ID DEBUT Having abandoned its most iconic Home button's Touch ID function, iPhone X optimizes its customers' experience by allowing them to unlock their iPhones simply by scanning their faces through the Face ID function. Concerns over security and privacy were immediately raised since a person's face contains large mounts of private information, which might be exposed in the internet database through Face ID function, adding odds of being the victim of fraud. "We do not gather customer data when you enroll in Face ID, it stays on your device, we do not send it to the cloud," said Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering. But a bigger worry lies in the possibility of Face ID's being attacked by its owner's picture or other impersonative faces with make-up or masks. "Your passcode can be hacked, but your face is yours and yours alone," Apple Inc responded, adding that Apple X is designed to resist spoofing by photos or masks. "Face ID is enabled by the TrueDepth camera, which projects and analyzes more than 30,000 invisible dots to create a precise depth map of your face," according to a statement of Apple Inc. Inevitably, of course, twins or people who look naturally alike can be a potential problem for iPhone X. But Apple Inc has stressed that with Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint technology, the chance that a random person could unlock your phone with his or her fingerprint is one in 50,000, while with Face ID, it is one in one million, which makes it so secure that you can use it with Apple Pay and check out with just a glance. "With just a glance? So the fraud can just install a payment machine inside a public mirror, and people will be paying for whatever he buys when they look at themselves in the mirror?" asked a customer. Perhaps not that easy. For additional security, Face ID is attention aware, meaning it unlocks your iPhone X only when you look toward the device to make sure you are actively trying to use it, heading off chances of being hacked in such situations as taking a nap in public. Over this function, some netizens come up with more practical concerns saying that "the lack of any fingerprint reader could cause problems for blind people who can't focus their eyes on anything." If you are blind or vision impaired, Federighi said, you may just turn off the "attention detection" feature at a lower level of overall security. Moreover, a netizen called Kandee Johnson said, "I'm not sure how the iPhone X face recognition will distinguish between me with make-up and without make-up. Because the difference is real." And, more seriously, what about cosmetic surgery? Netizens are also showing deep concerns for China's internet celebrities and those South Korean beauties, who have extremely similar faces after accepting cosmetic surgery with the same aesthetic trend. Apple explained by saying, "Once it knows you, it knows you," adding that the A11 Bionic chip uses machine learning to recognize changes in your appearance as you change hair styles, grow a beard, wear sunglasses, wear a hat, or have plastic surgery. How about people who either cover their faces for religious or professional reasons? Will Face ID system recognize them? Apple made a response saying that Face ID is not going to be a viable option for people who wear a mask for work or wear a niqab, which means they would need to use a passcode. "This limitation is similar to Touch ID, which simply don't work if you wore gloves or had wet hands," Federighi said. In other tricky scenarios as being asked by a thief or your wife to hand over your device, you can "quick disable" Face ID by gripping either volume button plus the power button, holding them a little while to get back the passcode authentication. how to take off festival wristbandcheap rubber wristbandscustomise fidget spinnerslap wristbandspersonalized rubber bracelets
Chinese peacekeeping troops, the last detachment of the country's first deployment of a full infantry battalion for a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission arrive at Juba International Airport on April 8, 2015. [Photo/VCG] UNITED NATIONS - The top UN peacekeeping official has said that China's contribution to peacekeeping is extremely important, while highly commending the quality of its contingent and equipment. As the second largest financial contributor, China's contribution to peacekeeping is extremely important, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Peacekeeping Operations, told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview. Lacroix, who took over from the former Under-Secretary-General Herve Ladsous on April 1 and is in charge of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said that China is a very important troop contributor as well with about 2,500 peacekeepers deployed in a number of countries as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Mali. According to UN official statistics, China currently contributes 2,512 people to UN peacekeeping, including 155 police, 34 military experts and 2,323 troops. On average, China contributes more troops to UN peacekeeping missions than any other permanent member of the UN Security Council. The country dispatches high-value troops and has recently begun to provide combat troops, marking a significant change in its deployment profile, according to UN reports. What is remarkable is that the contributions of China are very high quality, said the USG, recalling his March visit to Juba of South Sudan, where he paid a visit with his predecessor Ladsous and saw the quality of China's contributions directly. I was deeply impressed by the quality of the Chinese contingent, qualified people and quality equipment -- this is very important, he noted. The bulk of UN peacekeeping operations funding is appropriated much like the general budget, but permanent members of the Security Council are required to pay a larger share, and all states are free to contribute additional funding, equipment, or other services to missions of their respective choices. The year 2015 was a landmark year in China's rise as a global security provider. Not only did the Chinese leader commit 8,000 troops to the UN peacekeeping standby force-one fifth of the 40,000 total troops committed by 50 nations-China also pledged $100 million to the African Union standby force and $1 billion to establish the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund. The UN extremely appreciated the fact that China is committed to the PCRS or the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System, said Lacroix. We look forward that China will bring those contributions to a level of readiness that will enable us, if needed, to rapidly deploy Chinese units wherever they are needed, he said. This is a very much appreciated effort, said the USG. I think that there is another area that China's role is and will be very important. It's the area of helping the other actual troop contributor countries to improve the level (of Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System), said UN peacekeeping chief. The UN does not have its own military force; it depends on contributions from Member States. As of March 31, 2014, 122 countries contributed military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping, according to UN statistics. To date, 54 UN peace operations have completed their mandates. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday welcomed the closure of the United Nations Operations in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) on June 30, after having successfully achieved its mandate. He commends the significant contributions of all partners national, regional and international in the Ivoirian peace process, the UN chief said in a statement. A consensus has been reached among UN top management echelon that peacekeeping operations have evolved from simply monitoring ceasefires to protecting civilians, disarming ex-combatants, protecting human rights, promoting the rule of law, supporting free and fair elections, minimizing the risk of land-mines and much more. In all these areas, China is playing an increasingly import role, said Lacroix.
