Chinese unveil AI-powered social credit surveillance tech at security expo

Surveillance technology unveiled by Chinese companies at a Beijing security expo last month has drawn alarm over its possible application by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Like its foreign spying activities involving TikTok and spy balloons, the CCP’s domestic surveillance of its citizens also involves cutting edge, military-grade technology powered by artificial intelligence.

Over 700 million cameras — approximately one for every two citizens — are installed across China as part of the CCP’s mass surveillance apparatus named Skynet. They populate streets, parks, subways, and even places of worship. The cameras are not only equipped with facial recognition ability, but can also analyze gaits, ethnicities, and behaviors. These details, along with individual faces, genders, ages and clothing, are recorded and matched against law enforcement databases.

But the surveillance tech showcased at last month’s trade show — which may already be employed by the Chinese government — went further. Software from CCP-owned SenseTime — sanctioned by the US government for its role in ethnic oppression — uses AI to automatically detect “undesirable behaviors” such as smoking, fighting or not wearing a mask. Zohetec, another Chinese firm, developed cameras which the company claims can recognize faces from up to 490 feet away, reports AFP. Chinese firm Tiandy has developed technology that displays an individual’s face on a public screen if a surveillance camera catches them jaywalking.

The CCP’s control over information has made it difficult to accurately assess how surveillance tech is being used and to what extent, but some reports have reached international media in recent years.

Facial recognition software, for example, has reportedly been used in schools to track students’ behaviors. Cameras positioned above the blackboard scan students’ faces and alert the teacher if they are attentive, sleepy, talking, and even disappointed or angry.

Chinese police have been known to wear surveillance glasses that capture facial images and immediately match them against law enforcement blacklists.

Even more concerning is how such surveillance technology is used to enforce a social credit system, currently enforced by local authorities but intended to soon be a “unified” program based on a central algorithm. Chinese citizens are graded on their “trustworthiness” so that individuals who refuse to pay fines or debts are publicly shamed before film screenings at cinemas. Buying too many video games or spending too much time playing them can negatively impact a citizen’s social score, as can wasting money, posting unapproved content on social media, or criticizing the government.

Punishments for these social infractions can include being barred from purchasing train tickets or hotel stays and can even result in slower internet. Citizens who are caught on camera walking their dogs without leashes can have them taken away. 

Good citizens may be rewarded for compliance with perks like discounts on energy bills and better interest rates.

Social credit scores can be accessed by the public, not only law enforcement, so a corporation can review a potential customer’s financial credit and behavior before providing services.