Associated Incidents
AN Asian man’s passport photo was rejected by the New Zealand government after its facial recognition software claimed his “eyes were closed”.
Richard Lee, who is originally from Taiwan, shared a screenshot of the awkward error message on Facebook, prompting dozens to slam the technology as “racist”.
RICHARD LEE / FACEBOOK 5 Richard Lee's passport photo was rejected by the New Zealand government after its facial recognition software insisted his “eyes were closed”
The DJ, who grew up in New Zealand and has since moved to Australia, wanted to renew his passport so he could go home for Christmas.
But he was shocked when his snap was rejected, with a message popping up which read: “The photo you want to upload does not meet our criteria because: Subject eyes are closed”.
He told news.com.au he tried a few different pictures with “no luck” – despite his eyes being open in all the shots.
RICHARD LEE / FACEBOOK 5 The DJ, who is originally from Taiwan, shared a screenshot of the awkward error message on Facebook
“So I rang up the passport office and they told me there was shadowing in my eyes and also uneven lighting on the face, which makes it hard for the software to process,” he said.
The 22-year-old, also known as DJ Richy Fancy, finally got one accepted after taking new passport photos at an Australia Post office.
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Richard insisted he did not think the computer glitch was “racist”, but others on social media were not so sure.
After reading the pop-up message from the Department of Internal Affairs, one Facebook user wrote: “Racist much?”
RICHARD LEE / FACEBOOK 5 Richard insisted he did not think the computer glitch was “racist”, but others on social media were not so sure
RICHARD LEE / FACEBOOK 5 Richard then jokingly shared another shot on Facebook using a Snapchat filter which gave him huge cartoon eyes
“Technology is getting racist,” another user commented.
Another Facebook user wrote: "Sue for racism."
Richard then jokingly shared another shot on Facebook using a Snapchat filter which gave him huge cartoon eyes.
"I hope they accept this one. Wish me luck," he captioned the picture.
RICHARD LEE / FACEBOOK 5 The DJ, who grew up in New Zealand and has since moved to Australia, wanted to renew his passport so he could go home for Christmas
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs said the software was “one of the most technologically advanced in the world”.
“Up to 20 per cent of photos submitted online are rejected for a large variety of reasons,” a department spokesman said.
“The first photos in this case contained uneven lighting on the individual’s face but a later one was accepted the same day.
“The most common error is a subject’s eyes being closed and that was the generic error message sent in that case.”
The spokesman said the department had confidence in the technology and did not believe they discriminated against any specific individuals.