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Summary:Experts suggest that express delivery companies unify their rules

"After placing an order online, I went to a nearby express delivery point to send the package, but the courier asked me to 'scan my face'." Mr. Chen, who often sends express packages, was puzzled. Do I have to scan my face to send packages now? Then he went to another offline outlet of the same express company and found that he only needed to register his ID number to send it.

Mr. Chen wondered: How much information does real-name authentication require? Why do different outlets of the same brand have different procedures for express delivery real-name authentication?

Different outlets and cabinets have different express delivery requirements

Mr. Chen often sends express due to work needs and has become a "gold member" of SF Express. On July 16, Mr. Chen planned to send a Shanghai intra-city express, so he went to a branch near his workplace during lunch break. Unexpectedly, a "small incident" occurred during this delivery.

"I handed the package to the courier, and he opened it to check and prepare for packaging. At this time, another clerk said, 'Let him scan his face,' and the courier started fiddling with the equipment at hand." Mr. Chen was very curious. Did he have to "scan his face" to send a package? "I have sent packages many times, but this is the first time I have encountered this situation. If I have to scan my face, I won't send it." So Mr. Chen left this offline outlet and went to another one. In the end, the package was sent out smoothly without facial recognition. "This SF Express outlet neither asked me to scan my face nor to show my ID card. It just asked me to fill in my name and ID card in a notebook."

Generally, the courier software provides a real-name authentication option in the background, so there is no need to re-register offline after placing an order online.

Mr. Chen called SF Express's hotline to inquire about the reason. After asking the outlet, the courier customer service replied that face scanning is required for real-name authentication. "What is the standard for real-name authentication?" Mr. Chen was not satisfied with this reply. He hoped that the standard could be unified when sending express delivery. "If facial recognition is really needed, then it should be done for all customers, not by region or outlet."

Mr. Chen also called "12345" to inquire, and the Shanghai Postal Administration replied that real-name authentication is indeed required for sending parcels, and improvements will be made in the future for the inconsistent authentication methods.

Coincidentally, some third-party delivery service providers have also adopted the "face scanning self-service delivery" service on self-service lockers. When Ms. Jian sent a package through Fengchao Express Locker, she had to log in to her account on the WeChat applet and do facial recognition. After successfully logging in, she had to do facial recognition again at the locker to prove that the sender was herself. "It's really too troublesome! I have already registered my real name on the applet, and I still have to do facial recognition several times in the hot sun. Intelligentization is not as good as manual work!"

After online real-name authentication, facial recognition is still required when delivering express delivery

Ms. Zhou also encountered a similar problem at the self-service kiosk. Because she was not at home, she asked her roommate to help her go downstairs to send the package after placing an order on the system. However, after entering the shipping code, she still needed facial verification, and the package was not sent successfully. Ms. Zhou was very angry: "Not long ago, when I used another kiosk to send a package, I did not need facial recognition. Why are the kiosk rules not unified?" In response, Fengchao staff replied that real-name registration is required for delivery, but the specific real-name registration method is subject to the kiosk display.

Before face recognition, you need to scan the QR code with your account, and account login also requires face recognition, repeat this several times

Industry insiders: Real-name authentication is essential, but the details should be unified

How is real-name authentication generally performed when sending express delivery? The reporter asked several couriers, and they all said that real-name authentication is an indispensable part of online and offline express delivery, otherwise the courier will not be able to print out the express delivery slip.

Xiao Gao, a courier from YTO Express, said that if a customer places an order on an online platform, the platform will require the customer to verify their real name when placing the order. Then, when the courier picks up the package, there is no need to verify it again. If the customer sends the package directly to the outlet, they need to provide their ID card or a photo of their ID card. If the elderly cannot operate electronically, they can also directly register their ID card number in a notebook and the courier will help enter it.

Xiao Tang from Cainiao Station said that the machine can sometimes manually fill in the ID number, but sometimes the manual filling page is "stuck" and it cannot be filled in manually. It can only be photographed for identification, otherwise the express delivery note cannot be printed.

As for facial recognition, Xiao Gao said that in addition to the self-service delivery counters, outlets generally have self-service ordering machines, including weighing and facial recognition functions, and customers can place orders after facial recognition. "We can't see information such as ID numbers, because the middle numbers are hidden and the underlying outlets don't have the authority to obtain them." Courier Xiao Gao said that the results of facial recognition are not in the system that couriers can access.

Behind face recognition is also an attempt to make the entire industry smarter. In recent years, the express delivery industry has been gradually promoting unmanned and intelligent technologies, such as using unmanned vehicles to transport express parcels from outlets to terminal stations. Since 2019, following the face-scanning technology used to pick up parcels at smart lockers, express delivery has begun to use face-scanning technology. After the face is scanned, the parcel can be sent out after completing the real-name authentication within 1 to 2 seconds.

In the view of logistics industry expert Zhao Xiaomin, in most cases of real-name registration, the sender's identity can be confirmed by mobile phone number. "Mobile phones can make the sender traceable, which is also a common practice internationally."

According to the new version of the national standard "Express Delivery Service" issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation in April this year, the collection of personal information of delivery service users by express delivery service entities should be limited to the minimum scope to achieve the purpose of express delivery services, including name, contact information, mailing (receiving) address, delivery item information, ID card information, etc., and user personal information should not be collected excessively. At the same time, measures should be taken to avoid displaying complete user personal information on express electronic waybills. Among them, there are no more detailed regulations on facial recognition. Zhao Xiaomin said, "In the field of logistics, whether it is express delivery, large logistics, or general distribution channels, there are no rules and laws for face scanning."

However, according to Zhao Xiaomin's observation, the level of detail of grid management varies between regions, and some express delivery outlets still require facial recognition for delivery. "Real-name verification requires ID card and name, but some places have not implemented it properly, and facial information has exceeded the scope of real-name verification." He suggested increasing the relevant training of express delivery personnel at outlets, and that express delivery companies should also unify rules and implement integrated management to provide consumers with more flexible choices and a good experience.