When the pandemic hit, I mean, really in some ways was like the perfect test for the surveillance system. One of the more remarkable things they did was built a system using cell phone data where they could essentially track everyone in the country. Beyond that, they introduced the system of health codes so that, you know, one had on their smartphone this app with a QR code that was color coded depending on your level of exposure to the virus. And if it was red, you had to quarantine at home.
China’s quest for social control is now playing out in ways that should worry us all. In this episode of the podcast, award-winning journalist Josh Chin explains how the Chinese government is weaving digital technology into every aspect of daily life from traffic patterns to food safety to emergency response. And he argues that this is a matter of global concern: Western governments encouraged their countries’ companies to sell China the technology it needed to build its surveillance state in the hope that economic and scientific engagement would lead to political reform. Not only did that plan backfire but now China is exporting its system to other countries such as India, Uganda, and Singapore. The host for this episode is Katie Stallard - Senior Editor, China and Global Affairs, at the New Statesman magazine.
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