Surveillance and Facial Recognition Tricks Monitor, Threaten People in China

A screen shows visitors being filmed by AI security cameras with facial recognition technology at the 14th China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing on Oct. 24, 2018. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

How would it feel being forced to scan your face at restrooms before getting some toilet paper, pass a “facial recognition test” to apply for internet services, or being critically shamed online for your “uncivilized behavior” of wearing pajamas in public? And what if trackers were put on your kids to monitor their activities in school and beyond?

This may sound too bizarre and farfetched to some; however, it is what people encounter in China as a routine part of their lives. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been expanding surveillance and the use of facial recognition technology, and there’s no doubt why more people, especially the Chinese people, are becoming greatly concerned about security issues.