SINGAPORE: They’re often used in Hollywood, and are a recurring and possibly well-worn hallmark of the Mission Impossible films.
But realistic silicone face masks are now under the spotlight in China in the wake of recent capers by criminals wearing them, sparking calls for tighter oversight amid fears they could become the modus operandi for lawbreakers, especially considering their ease of access.
Chinese e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Pinduduo have clamped down on the search for such masks as analysts warn the products could help criminals evade identification or even facilitate identity theft or impersonation by bypassing facial recognition systems.
Checks by CNA found that silicone face masks can be readily delivered beyond China to other places in Asia such as Singapore. But experts say there isn’t cause for alarm.
“I believe that if (such a mask is bought and) used to commit or attempt to commit a crime, then that certainly is going to be an offence,” said Mr Chung Ting Fai, founder of an eponymous law firm who specialises in intellectual property and business law in both China and Singapore.
But at present there have been no such cases (in Singapore), so this has not been an issue,” he told CNA.
UNMASKING CRIMINALS
Silicone masks have drawn recent public attention and concern in China, after local media reported on several burglaries where the perpetrators made use of them.
In March, four homes in Shanghai were broken into and over 100,000 yuan (US$13,760) in valuables stolen. When police nabbed the suspect, they discovered that it was a man in his 40s who had disguised himself as an elderly person through a silicone mask.
Last month, a burglar broke into five rural households in eastern Jiangsu province, stealing 30,000 yuan worth of valuables. Local police say he allegedly disguised himself as an electrical worker, with a silicone mask on hand as a disguise to evade the cops if necessary.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-lifelike-silicone-face-masks-crime-security-privacy-concerns-4460391
