I-Spy: Surveillance as a Normative Tool

 China's Data Collection Methods 

China's extensive usage of surveillance methods upon its citizens leaves some wondering if authorities in the country are abusing their power. Through data collection and camera footage from everywhere in its major cities, China has direct access to the daily lives and habits of its citizens. AI software has been invented to track if a resident of a particular district breaks a rule, and reports it to the appropriate police department with evidence of the person's crime from multiple angles. Facial recognition software continues to be developed and can identify a person within one second. In fact, some software can now identify race and ethnicity, and has been adapted to recognize people wearing masks due to the pandemic. All of these changes have happened within the last couple of years, which begs the question: is this technology the future, or are experiments being taken too far?