Problems with ID card photos

Recent media reports say that invigilators in a college have long suspected a student to be a "ghostwriter" in exams because the photograph on his ID card does not seem to resemble him. But random checks carried out later revealed that the photographs of four out of five students on their ID cards have the same problem. Public security authorities, therefore, have to ensure that the photographs on people's ID cards are clear, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:

The photographs on people's ID cards have to be clear because they should reveal their facial features in minute details. But the majority of the people say that the photographs on their ID cards are far from clear, causing inconvenience to them in their daily life. It sure is painful for a person to see himself/herself as different, let alone uglier, than he/she is.

The lack of service awareness among police officers is partly to blame for such a situation. For long, public security departments have laid disproportionately greater emphasis on administrative work and neglected the service they deliver, and not taken enough people-friendly measures. When police have the final say in where and how photographs for ID cards should be taken, people will not be able to question the quality of the photographs even if they are very poor.

Of course, police officials say the new electronic identification technology reads facial features of individuals on ID card photographs strictly according to the rules, so it doesn't matter whether they portray a person's facial features clearly or not.

But the fact is a person could look different if photographed by different photographers. And after clicking the photographs, many photographers make minor adjustments to make the photographs look "better" and, in the process, change their quality for the worse. People whose photographs do not reflect their facial features correctly haven't received proper response from public security bureau officials for the "mistake" they have committed.

The photograph on the ID card of a person is his/her "name card". Public complaints against the faulty photographs on ID cards signify the increase in civic awareness and the call for improvement in public administration and service. Only by changing their work style and improving their services can the authorities win back the trust of the people.

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