People registering new mobile phone services in China will now be required to have their faces scanned as part of the identity verification process.
China has been trying to ensure that everyone who uses the internet does so under their real identities.
It claims that removing anonymity from internet use boosts cyber-security and reduces internet fraud.
Removing anonymity makes it easier to track the population.
China's citizen database has been breached before, resulting in people being contacted by scammers who knew their personal details. There were 170 million CCTV cameras installed in China in 2017, with another 400 million new ones planned to be installed by 2020.
Facial recognition plays a key role in China's surveillance system. It has been used to track fugitives, as well as to identify certain minority groups.
