Walk into a shopping centre and a camera may record your face. The image can be joined with your phone signal, your payment record and the length of time you spent in front of a certain shelf. For the shop this is useful information. For the customer it may be a step too far.
In 2025 China published detailed rules on the protection of personal information, and they began to bite in 2026. The main idea is that a face is personal data, not free material. If a business wants to collect it, it must tell the person clearly, explain why it is needed and how long it will be kept, and receive agreement before the camera starts.
The rules also limit what can be done with the data afterwards. Face information should be stored separately from other records, and it should be deleted once the stated purpose is finished. Sending personal data to another company or out of the country requires a separate and higher level of permission.
Public places face a harder question. A railway station has a real reason to check faces: security. But a street camera that guesses a person’s mood, or a shop that shows a different price after studying a face, serves no clear public purpose. Where the reason is weak, the answer should be no.
The value of the rules will be decided by how they are used. Many customers never read the long notice at the door, and few would know that they have the right to ask for their face data to be removed. The rules matter only when people actually use them, and that takes both easy complaint channels and a habit of asking questions.
Words to know:
- personal (adj. 个人的，私人的)
- data (n. 数据，资料)
- collect (v. 采集，收集)
- agreement (n. 同意，协议)
- store (v. 存储，储存)
- delete (v. 删除)
- permission (n. 许可，准许)
- purpose (n. 目的，用途)
长难句拆解 · if 引导条件状语从句 + 三个并列动词 + before 引导时间状语从句
原文：If a business wants to collect it, it must tell the person clearly, explain why it is needed and how long it will be kept, and receive agreement before the camera starts.
拆解：主干是 it must tell the person clearly, explain …, and receive agreement（它必须清楚告知当事人、说明情况并取得同意）。if 引导条件状语从句，主句的主语 it 指 a business。主句有三个并列谓语：tell、explain、receive。explain 后面接两个并列的宾语从句，分别由 why 和 how long 引导，且两句都用被动语态（it is needed / it will be kept），其中 it 均指代 personal information。最后 before the camera starts 是时间状语从句，starts 用一般现在时表将来。
直译：如果企业想要采集它，就必须清楚告知当事人，说明为何需要以及会保存多久，并在摄像头启动前取得同意。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读最爱把原文的词换成另一个说法来出题，认出这些替换，定位就能快一半。
- a camera may record your face → a device may capture an image of your face（record ＝ capture）
- joined with your phone signal → linked to the signal from your mobile（join with ＝ link to）
- a step too far → beyond what is acceptable（越界）
- began to bite in 2026 → started to have real effect（bite ＝ 产生实效）
- limit what can be done with the data → restrict how the information may be used（limit ＝ restrict）
- stored separately from other records → kept apart from other files（separately ＝ 分开地）
- serves no clear public purpose → has no obvious public benefit（purpose ＝ benefit）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- T / F / NG：根据新规，火车站出于安全目的采集人脸属于正当理由。（判断正误并说明依据）
- 简答：把个人信息发送给另一家公司或者传到国外，需要满足什么条件？
- 选词填空：Where the reason is weak, the answer should be no.（用原文短语替换画线部分）供选：clear purpose / clear promise / clear presence
参考答案与解析
- TRUE。原文说 A railway station has a real reason to check faces: security，明确把安全列为火车站的正当理由。注意不要与后半句混淆：作者反对的是「猜测路人情绪的街头摄像头」和「研究人脸后显示不同价格的商店」，而非火车站的安全检查。
- 需要另外的、更高层级的许可（a separate and higher level of permission）。原文说 Sending personal data to another company or out of the country requires a separate and higher level of permission。注意题目把 out of the country 换成「传到国外」，属于同义转换。
- clear purpose。原文说的是 a shop that shows a different price after studying a face, serves no clear public purpose，核心词是 purpose。promise 意为「承诺」，presence 意为「存在」，均与原文不符。
中文译文
走进一家商场，摄像头可能记录下你的脸。这张图像可以与你的手机信号、支付记录和你在某个货架前停留的时长拼接起来。对商家来说，这是有用信息。对顾客来说，这可能已经越界。
2025 年，中国公布了针对个人信息保护的详细规定，并在 2026 年开始真正发挥作用。核心意思是：人脸属于个人信息，不是免费素材。如果企业想采集，就必须明确告知当事人，说明为何需要、保存多久，并在摄像头启动前取得同意。
规则还限制数据此后的用途。人脸信息应与其他记录分开存储，一旦所述目的完成就应删除。把个人信息发送给另一家公司或者传到国外，需要另外的、更高层级的许可。
公共场所面临更棘手的问题。火车站确实有采集人脸的正当理由——安全。但一个猜测路人情绪的街头摄像头，或者一家研究人脸后显示不同价格的商店，并没有明确的公共目的。理由薄弱之处，答案就应该是不。
规则的价值将由它的使用方式决定。许多顾客从不读门口那篇长长的告知，也极少有人知道自己有权要求删除自己的人脸数据。只有人们真正去用它，规则才有意义；而这既需要便捷的投诉渠道，也需要一种主动发问的习惯。