In preparation for China’s National Day, police in Beijing have sought to avoid disruption
by installing surveillance cameras in every corner of the city.
In fact, China Daily has reported that 100% of the city is under video surveillance as
part of a nationwide project, ominously called “Skynet”.
So we wanted to know, just how invasive is China’s mass surveillance?
Well, by 2013, China had installed up to 30 million cameras around the country, jumping
dramatically from a little under 3 million cameras in 2005.
NPR reported finding 11 cameras in a 100 foot radius.
13 million were installed in 2011 alone.
And while the cameras do seem to lower crime rates, China’s oppressive government doesn’t
just stop there.
China is well known to censor and monitor all of its web traffic, and uses this information
to imprison journalists and bloggers.
China has roughly 2 million internet police alone, who have been cracking down on any
form of dissent or protest.
The practice of jailing political dissidents has led to China holding the largest number
of people arrested for their internet history.
But it only gets worse.
China is also known to wiretap phones, with one politician found tapping high ranking
officials and China’s President.
The New York Times has even reported that private phone calls are automatically disconnected
when a controversial word, like “protest”, is mentioned.
And while it may sound paranoid, many hide or disable their cell phones when having potentially
dissenting conversations in person.
According to NPR, some Chinese citizens suggest that their cell phones can be remotely activated
to listen in.
So what does China do with all this information?
Well, besides imprisoning those they disagree with, they also use it to publicly rate their
population.
Chinese citizens are given a “social credit score”, which is similar to a regular credit
score.
The difference is that it is based on private behavior, and affects much more than your
car loan.
It’s reported that if you badmouth the government online, play video games, or even if one of
your friends posts something disagreeable, your score goes down.
And this score can assist or prevent you in receiving a travel visa, a bank loan, or even
a job.
The government has announced that this system will be mandatory within the next 5 years.
Obviously, programs like these are intended to create a fear of dissent.
The American Civil Liberties Union has said that this surveillance and judgment system
should serve as a warning for the United States.
Although China is no longer a totalitarian system, they are unquestionably authoritarian;
threatening both pressure and actual arrest for anyone who dares to question the status
quo.
While the US is unlikely to be as aggressive as China in this regard, the use of mass surveillance
in the United States has already seen a huge shift in public perceptions of the government.
China alarming new credit score system is just the tip of the iceberg.
Watch Seeker Daily to learn more
about it.
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