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Building Tomorrow
The Chinese Surveillance State
In a previous episode, we covered the transformation of China, which is adopting new tech like delivery drones and digital payment years in advance of the US. But being in the forefront of tech adoption has a darker side when it comes to modern surveillance techniques.
In this episode we parse what is hyperbole and what is reality when it comes to the Chinese surveillance state. That includes social credit systems which combine credit scores with social media behavior and personal payment history. Additionally, local governments are developing facial recognition software that can be used with the hundreds of millions of surveillance cameras littering the country to automatically identify wanted criminals or even to embarrass jaywalkers.
Finally, we discuss some of the groups being targeted for surveillance, including journalists and dissidents. But the worst excesses of the surveillance State have been focused on the Uighur people of western China, many of whom have been subjected to religious persecution or even rounded up and sent to concentration camps for re-education.
How much does the Chinese Government restrict the movement of their citizens? What is Sesame Credit? What is Alibaba? What facial recognition technology does China use? Do law-abiding people change their behavior in response to surveillance revelations?
Further Reading:Meng Hongwei’s Arrest Shows China Values Economic Progress over Human Rights, written by Jimmy Lewis
Google really is trying to build a censored Chinese search engine, its CEO confirms, written by Brian Fung
Inside China’s Dystopian Dreams: A.I., Shame and Lots of Cameras, written by Paul Mozur
Related Content:Is China Beating the U.S. at Innovation, Building Tomorrow Podcast
China: The Annihilation of Human Rights, written by David Hart
When Will We Get Fully Autonomous Cars?, Building Tomorrow Podcast
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