Hong Kong customs to use AI to check 6,000 digital images in seconds for crime-fighting boost

A lab technician demonstrates a hard disk drive inspection at customs’ computer forensic lab in North Point. (Photo: South China Morning Post)

The Customs and Excise Department on Monday said initial research on its AI search engine showed it had 80% accuracy, saving officers time for following up on investigations.

"As one of the major local law enforcement agencies, Hong Kong customs needs to handle a large number of criminal cases," the department said in a promotional video shown at a news briefing.

"When a case involves electronic evidence, customs' computer forensic laboratory will offer assistance to those frontline personnel in need."

It was not immediately clear when customs would incorporate the AI system into its daily operations. But Chiu Kat Wu-lan, the department's acting assistant staff officer, added customs was "proactively exploring the use of new technologies" to enhance its capabilities in handling digital evidence and helping it combat tech crimes.

The laboratory was established in 2000 to collect, preserve and analyse digital evidence, as well as present findings in court.

It has 15 officers, whose responsibilities include analysing and cracking hidden files, providing real-time support at crime scenes and preserving the integrity of evidence.

Dozens of team members from other divisions will also be deployed to crime scenes to provide technical support when necessary.

Over the past five years, the laboratory has annually handled more than 100 cases involving electronic evidence. Customs handled about 19,000 cases last year.

Chiu, who specialises in computer forensic and information technology security, said the increase in tech crimes had made their forensic work more challenging, including advancement in smartphone technology and the prevalence of infringement activities on auction websites.

"In the era of big data, the computer forensic laboratory also started to handle cases such as money laundering and smuggling, in addition to infringement and dangerous drugs," she added.

"The amount and complexity of digital data processed by the computer forensic laboratory have skyrocketed, posing a considerable challenge to the laboratory's work."

Chiu also stressed the AI system would not replace officers' own duties and that they would be responsible for verifying forensic results generated.

The laboratory's four main functions are to collect and analyse seized electronic evidence after obtaining a court warrant, offer immediate technical support to frontline personnel at crime scenes, compile the results into a computer forensic report and, if necessary, go to court to explain the verification process, and provide internal training to frontline staff to enhance their skills in handling electronic evidence.