InfoSearched
Published -
- August 9, 2019
- 7:00 am
High-Tech Dystopia
Inside China’s High-Tech Dystopia
China has been hailed as a technological powerhouse, having developed cutting-edge technologies such as facial recognition, artificial intelligence, and 5G technology. However, these technologies are being used by the Chinese Communist Party to create a surveillance state that has been dubbed a high-tech dystopia.
The use of facial recognition technology in China is widespread, with millions of cameras tracking individuals’ movements and behavior. The government has also developed a social credit system, which assigns a score to each citizen that determines their access to services, travel, and even job opportunities. This system keeps citizens in check and punishes dissenters, effectively creating a society in which conformity is rewarded and individuality is punished.
In addition to the social credit system, the Chinese government has also rolled out a mass surveillance program called Skynet. Skynet enables the government to monitor individuals’ online activity, track their financial transactions, and review their internet browsing history, as well as monitoring their movements in public spaces.
This system has been used to crack down on dissent, with government officials using Skynet’s data to quickly identify and punish those who are critical of the government. In one instance, a Chinese businessman was detained after criticizing the government’s response to a disaster on social media. His social credit score was lowered, and he was barred from traveling or accessing certain jobs.
The Chinese government’s use of technology to create a surveillance state raises serious concerns about privacy and individual freedom. Citizens are constantly being monitored and evaluated, and their every move is scrutinized. The ability to express oneself freely is severely limited, and in some cases, punished.
Furthermore, as the Chinese government becomes more adept at using technology to monitor and control its citizens, there is a real risk of this technology being exported to other authoritarian regimes around the world. This could allow other repressive governments to create their own high-tech dystopias, where people are monitored and controlled in the same way as in China.
In conclusion, while China’s technological advances are impressive, they are being used in a way that threatens individual freedoms and privacy. The government’s use of facial recognition, social credit scores, and mass surveillance is creating a high-tech dystopia that could be exported to other countries. It is essential that we remain vigilant and hold our own governments accountable for how they use technology to protect our rights and freedoms.
