Amazon, IBM, and Dell helped build China's surveillance state
18 hours ago
- #human-rights
- #technology
- #surveillance
- The Yang family in rural China is under intense surveillance, with their movements, communications, and purchases monitored by the government.
- American tech companies played a significant role in building China's surveillance state, selling technology used to quash dissent and target minorities.
- Predictive policing technology, developed by U.S. firms, is used in China to preemptively detain individuals deemed suspicious.
- The 'Golden Shield' project, developed with IBM's help, is a key component of China's surveillance apparatus, used for censorship and control.
- Xinjiang's Uyghur population has been particularly targeted, with mass detentions and surveillance systems grading individuals based on risk factors.
- Despite sanctions and backlash, American technology continues to power China's surveillance systems, with companies like Dell, Intel, and Nvidia still involved.
- The surveillance technology initially developed for China is now being exported to other authoritarian regimes, raising global concerns.
- The Yang family's struggle highlights the human cost of these surveillance systems, with their land seized and family members detained for protesting.