China is working hard to keep ahead of our government. Probably news of NAIS and REAL ID spread to their shores so they’ve taken to chipping their citizens in a race to the Nanny State:
SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 9 — At least 20,000 police surveillance cameras are being installed along streets here in southern China and will soon be guided by sophisticated computer software from an American-financed company to recognize automatically the faces of police suspects and detect unusual activity.
Starting this month in a port neighborhood and then spreading across Shenzhen, a city of 12.4 million people, residency cards fitted with powerful computer chips programmed by the same company will be issued to most citizens.
Data on the chip will include not just the citizen’s name and address but also work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status and landlord’s phone number. Even personal reproductive history will be included, for enforcement of China’s controversial “one child” policy. Plans are being studied to add credit histories, subway travel payments and small purchases charged to the card.
Security experts describe China’s plans as the world’s largest effort to meld cutting-edge computer technology with police work to track the activities of a population and fight crime. But they say the technology can be used to violate civil rights.
The Chinese government has ordered all large cities to apply technology to police work and to issue high-tech residency cards to 150 million people who have moved to a city but not yet acquired permanent residency.
Both steps are officially aimed at fighting crime and developing better controls on an increasingly mobile population, including the nearly 10 million peasants who move to big cities each year. But they could also help the Communist Party retain power by maintaining tight controls on an increasingly prosperous population at a time when street protests are becoming more common.
-NYTimes
Once all the Sheeple are chipped you can bet they’ll start on the rest of us.
Hat tip to Sally.
In my opinion, China has now become a “police state”. I have been to Hong Kong.. the old section is nothing more than a slum. Kowloon, the new section, is architecturally more advanced than most US capitol cities; however, their “window” merchandise lacks US moral standards.
Regardless, this is a country that still kills its baby girls….their farming community is infested with disease.
Why are we importing their merchandise and adopting their communistic technology? Of all the countries in the world, China has the least to offer, other than cheap labor.
Globalization will be the death of America.
Comment M.D. in Wis. — August 11, 2007 @ 9:35 pm
MD-May I humbly suggest we all give credit where credit is due? It isn’t the Chinese people as a whole but some of the corrupt ones that are running the show. The average Chinese is pretty much like you and me. We recently had two Chinese guests. What is odd is that they are getting very Americanized (look to America as a hero), and we are going ‘former’ Chinese. It was interesting when I asked if they were experiencing an increased police presence they said yes. More so than usual.
Comment Celeste — August 12, 2007 @ 7:42 am
There is an article today in the Boston Globe about Homeland Security dolling out funds for street cameras.
Globe Article
Comment Sue F — August 12, 2007 @ 1:59 pm
I’ve mentioned this before…This country is already taking steps to chip us. Verichip Corp. is the company that’s making the chip which can be tracked by gps or scanners such as in dept. stores. (They make those also)You can be tracked wherever you go. We’ve seen the posts to do the Alzheimers patients. They’re urging us to do our children to keep them safe. Of course once the kids are done now you’ve got the future adults done. FEAR will be the tool to use to get us to comply. Hillary Clinton urges it as part of the health care system she envisions.
Beware the Totalitarian Two Step. It’s the one they want us all to be dancing to.
Comment John Two Crows — August 13, 2007 @ 8:04 pm
…I think somebody said World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
We as human are not mature enough to play with certain toys. We’ll “put somebody’s eye out” fer sure.
Technological advances usually don’t go hand in hand with societal advances.
Some technology has been good, some well, not so good. When money ceases to be the motivation behind certain ahem “advances” and
true good intentions prevail that will be a good day.
We’re not there yet and I’m not holding my breath.
Comment Bob Constantine — August 14, 2007 @ 6:31 am