In this case, it is reported that the committee secretary, also with the surname Li, led a group using masks to deceive the timekeeping system based on facial recognition.
Employees printed images of their colleagues on paper and made masks from them, allowing one person to clock in for several employees simultaneously.
This incident was recorded by a surveillance camera installed near the timekeeping terminal.
It is unknown how many workers were involved in this violation and how the informant gained access to the camera recordings.
The residents' committees associated with these events represent the lowest form of local governance in China. These organizations operate autonomously, and their employees are not civil servants, receiving only allowances.
The news has sparked widespread resonance online. One internet user stated, "This is blatant corruption. They should all resign and even face legal consequences. Many people in the country are struggling to find jobs." Another commentator added, "Some of us work more than 10 hours a day, while others don’t even work eight." This remark refers to the widely discussed 996 work culture, which entails working 12 hours a day for six days a week, in contrast to the stable and calm civil service.
Another user expressed the opinion that requiring district committee employees to come to work at a specific time is unreasonable. "These workers need to go out and solve residents' problems, so the timekeeping system is only suitable for those who spend the entire day in the office," he noted.
In October, Li reported the situation to higher authorities, and the government promised to respond by December 31.
The issue of how the printed faces managed to bypass the recognition system was also raised online. According to a Legal Daily report from 2022, inexpensive masks made from online stores for 10–40 yuan (1.4–5.6 USD) could deceive some facial recognition systems.
One social media user noted that masks with images could bypass systems operating at low resolution.
