South Korea: Sunglasses ban for cash machine users

Uncovered faces will soon be a requirement at some South Korean cash machines

Bank customers in South Korea won't be able to wear sunglasses, face masks or hats when using cash machines fitted with new facial recognition devices, it's reported.

The new machines are due to be rolled out at an initial 100 locations from October, but users will be warned against covering their faces, as that will interfere with the software and prevent them accessing their accounts, Seoul's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reports. South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service says the first machines will be installed at locations where there have been frequent reports of fraud and theft, but that eventually they'll be used across the country. Cameras built into the machines will attempt to confirm the identity of the user, and will halt the transaction if it fails, Chosun Ilbo says.

This appears to be the first wide-scale roll-out of the technology, only a month after Chinese researchers claimed to have developed the world's first facial-recognition cash machine. Fingerprint technology is already used to withdraw money in some countries across Latin America, but privacy concerns and the high cost of the technology mean that biometric devices have not taken off elsewhere.

Next story: Rachmaninoff reburial bid riles composer's family

Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.