In the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Spider-Man: Far from Home, the hero receives a pair of glasses, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), giving him access to a wide range of information. [1] Although it seems like something out of the future, similar inventions are coming to the Earth.
With a population of 1.3 billion, China’s plan to create a facial recognition system that can identify people within three seconds — with a 90 percent accuracy rate — may seem ambitious, but that has not deterred the sprawling Asian nation. [2] Various Chinese cities are already using facial recognition to nab minor offenders, spot criminals among thousands of people in crowds, and verify the identities of passengers at airports. These are a few of the ways China is spying on its citizens — shades of Big Brother, a fictional character in George Orwell’s dystopian novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” [3] The name has entered the lexicon as a synonym for abuse of government power, especially as it relates to civil liberties.
The Chinese have an old saying: “The emperor is as far away as the sky.” [4] The proverb has long been used to reassure an anxious populace that the government can not monitor everyone, allowing citizens to cling to the last vestiges of freedom and privacy they still enjoy. But the adage is rapidly becoming a misnomer, courtesy of AI.
More than 30 Chinese military and government agencies are using birdlike drones and similar machines to spy on people in at least five provinces. These robotic devices mimic the flapping action of a bird’s wings as it maneuvers through the sky; they replicate 90 percent of a real dove’s movements. When in flight, they are so lifelike and quiet that real birds sometimes fly beside them. The drones are fitted with cameras, GPS, flight control systems, and data link antennas for satellite communication. [5]
It has long been known that the Chinese government uses video to keep an eye on its citizens. In 2016, privacy concerns arose when a Chinese city demanded that massage parlors and public baths install security cameras. In May, a middle school in east China installed cameras that analyze students’ facial expressions to determine if they are paying attention in class. [6]
China’s new facial recognition system, still in development, will ostensibly be used for security and government purposes, such as public administration and tracking fugitives. But burgeoning surveillance in that country — and around the world — has triggered alarm over privacy issues.
Meitu, a popular mobile application that allows people to put virtual makeup on selfies, rose to short-lived fame in the West. Its popularity cooled after media reports implied that users’ personal information was being sold, although the company vehemently denies it. A June 2016 regulation, which required developers to verify users’ identities and save activity logs for 60 days, aroused suspicion among technology bloggers and security monitors. [7]
In the same vein, telecom equipment made by Huawei and ZTE was labeled a national security threat by the U.S. government in 2012; phone-maker Xiaomi has faced data privacy investigations in Taiwan and Singapore. [8]
Despite privacy concerns, Chinese AI surveillance continues to evolve unabated. Even the government holds a stake in AI. Recently, top-performing Chinese students were recruited straight out of high school, some still wearing their graduation caps and gowns. Their mission: begin training to make the next generation of AI weapons and drones. [9] China is playing the long game.
With the country a major driver of AI surveillance, the technology is suddenly ubiquitous worldwide. The U.S. and other countries are also involved in the development of this potentially repressive hardware, but China aims for supremacy. The surveillance devices not only monitor citizens, but have the capacity to disrupt free elections, spy on political opponents, and spread false information. Surveillance is the midwife of government control.
Humans are natural voyeurs, but observations are subjective. Is an assemblage on the ground a peaceful protest or a riot? Are participants exercising their constitutional prerogative or citizens run amok? The desire to control others is too tantalizing, too seductive to resist, opponents fear.
Works Cited
[1] “A Pair of AI-Powered E.D.I.T.H Smart Glasses You Can Make Yourself.” Hackster.io, https://blog.hackster.io/a-pair-of-ai-powered-e-d-i-t-h-smart-glasses-ddf8b8e94e3d.
[2] “China Plans Giant Facial Recognition Database to ID Its 1.3bn People.” South China Morning Post, 24 Sept. 2018, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2115094/china-build-giant-facial-recognition-database-identify-any.
[3] “Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Brother_(Nineteen_Eighty-Four)
[4] “Tian Gao, Huangdi Yuan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Nov. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_gao,_Huangdi_yuan.
[5] “China’s Robotic Spy Birds Take Surveillance to New Heights.” South China Morning Post, 28 June 2018, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2152027/china-takes-surveillance-new-heights-flock-robotic-doves-do-they.
[6] “From Drones to Social Credits, 10 Ways China Watches Its Citizens.” South China Morning Post, 19 Feb. 2019, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2157883/drones-facial-recognition-and-social-credit-system-10-ways-china.
[7] Conger, Kate. “The Cost of Hot Selfie App Meitu? A Healthy Dose of Your Personal Info.” TechCrunch, TechCrunch, 20 Jan. 2017, https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/19/meitu-app-collects-personal-data/.
[8] Arthur, Charles. “China’s Huawei and ZTE Pose National Security Threat, Says US Committee.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 Oct. 2012, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/oct/08/china-huawei-zte-security-threat. [9] “China’s Brightest Children Recruited to Develop AI ‘Killer Bots’.” South China Morning Post, 8 Nov. 2018, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/2172141/chinas-brightest-children-are-being-recruited-develop-ai-killer.