The "human skin mask" of martial arts rivers and lakes
It was actually used by thieves in reality
A few days ago, the Xuzhou police announced a series of thefts that had just been cracked, the suspect was wearing the work clothes of the power department, and robbed 5 households in a morning, and he was wearing a silicone mask purchased online, ready to "change his face" at any time.
Previously, there were also cases in Shanghai where men wearing face masks sneaked into residents' homes to steal. The "face mask" has become a tool for criminals, which really makes people "think about it and be extremely scary"......
Wearing a mask to "disguise" the crime
At about 9 o'clock in the morning on June 5, five families in Xuzhou were stolen, with a value of about 30,000 yuan. After the suspect was arrested, the police initially confirmed that the suspect was involved in nearly 20 cases. When committing the crime, he would wear the work clothes of the electricity department purchased online, and once the victim returned, he lied about being an electrical maintenance worker. Not only that, but they also carry silicone masks purchased from the Internet, ready to "change faces" at any time.
Wearing a "human skin mask" to disguise the crime is not unique.
In March of this year, a similar case occurred in Shanghai. The man put on a silicone face mask, disguised himself as an old man, and infiltrated the homes of four residents, stealing a total of more than 100,000 yuan in property.
The police in many places have issued reminders that using silicone face masks to disguise as new faces to commit crimes is becoming a new modus operandi for some criminals.
Silicone face masks are made of special silicone or similar materials
It is usually used in film, TV series or stage play makeup
Where did the face mask used by the thief come from?
What are the legal risks involved in the production and sale of silicone masks?
Feel free to purchase online
The reporter searched for "silicone mask" on multiple e-commerce platforms, and immediately popped up products such as "mask adult full-face silicone hood", "easy-to-face real person face-changing human skin mask", "elderly silicone mask full-face" and other products, with prices ranging from a few yuan to tens of thousands of yuan.
These silicone face mask products are not only varied, but also come in a variety of designs.
Some businesses have launched simulated face masks for celebrities, claiming that they can highly restore the facial features of celebrities; Some merchants offer existing model headgear, which can cost up to 3,000 yuan; There are also merchants who claim to provide "private customization" services, with prices ranging from about 3,000 yuan to 25,000 yuan.
Merchants claim that as long as they provide the photo, the size of the head, facial features, and a 360-degree face photo, they can make a realistic face mask. As for the purpose and use of the mask, the merchant does not ask questions and does not need to provide information about the purchaser.
There are multiple risks involved
"On the one hand, the use of face masks by buyers may evade surveillance and identification, making it more difficult to identify criminal suspects and offenders. On the other hand, face masks can also be used to circumvent facial recognition technology and impersonate someone else to commit theft or other illegal acts. Liu Jiong, an associate professor of criminal law at Xiamen University Law School, said that there are certain legal risks in both civil, administrative and criminal fields.
Meng Qiang, a professor at the Law School of Beijing Institute of Technology, said that custom face masks can be used for legal purposes such as movie special effects, and if custom face masks involve infringement of personal privacy, portrait rights, reputation rights, etc., or lack of legal and compliant sales processes, or involve illegal and criminal acts, it is an illegal act. If the masks sold are used for illegal purposes, they may be complicit in participating in or facilitating the commission of a criminal act, and thus be subject to corresponding criminal liability.
Liu Jiong suggested that business providers should conduct strict identity verification and use review, and for highly realistic masks, they should be filed and reviewed by the public security department.