{"id":9157,"date":"2018-07-19T19:34:49","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T02:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=9157"},"modified":"2018-07-19T19:36:02","modified_gmt":"2018-07-20T02:36:02","slug":"inside-chinas-dystopian-dreams-a-i-shame-and-lots-of-cameras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2018\/07\/19\/inside-chinas-dystopian-dreams-a-i-shame-and-lots-of-cameras\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside China\u2019s Dystopian Dreams: A.I., Shame and Lots of Cameras"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"ResponsiveMedia-media--32g1o ResponsiveMedia-sizeLarge--1k8xA ResponsiveMedia-layoutHorizontal--1e727 css-16js15p toneFeature\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"ResponsiveMedia-container--G2JS6\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00china-police-1\/merlin_138777558_35152ffd-0355-4f82-b484-eeac0a7bd9bd-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00china-police-1\/merlin_138777558_35152ffd-0355-4f82-b484-eeac0a7bd9bd-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00china-police-1\/merlin_138777558_35152ffd-0355-4f82-b484-eeac0a7bd9bd-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00china-police-1\/merlin_138777558_35152ffd-0355-4f82-b484-eeac0a7bd9bd-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"css-pplcdj ResponsiveMedia-caption--1dUVu toneFeature\"><span class=\"ResponsiveMedia-captionText--2WFdF css-fyuj2v emkp2hg0\">A video showing facial recognition software in use at the headquarters of the artificial intelligence company Megvii in Beijing.<\/span><span class=\"ResponsiveMedia-credit--3F-q_ css-ymj87 emkp2hg1\"><span class=\"css-1dv1kvn\">Credit<\/span>Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-pqwbx7 e1hs04dy0\">\n<header class=\"css-m89dac e345g291\">\n<div class=\"css-30n6iy e345g290\">\n<div class=\"css-acwcvw\">\n<div class=\"css-pqwbx7 e1hs04dy0\">\n<div class=\"css-1baulvz\">\n<p class=\"css-1cbhw1y e1x1pwtg1\">By\u00a0<a class=\"css-1s28epf e1x1pwtg0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/paul-mozur\"><span class=\"css-1baulvz\">Paul Mozur<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"css-lyagax\">\n<li><time class=\"css-pnci9c eqgapgq0\" datetime=\"2018-07-08\">July 8, 2018 (NYTimes.com)<\/time><\/li>\n<li class=\"css-6n7j50\">\n<div class=\"css-hn080\" role=\"toolbar\" aria-label=\"Social Media Share buttons, Save button, and Comments Panel with current comment count\" data-testid=\"share-tools\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">ZHENGZHOU, China \u2014 In the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, a police officer wearing facial recognition glasses spotted a heroin smuggler at a train station.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In Qingdao, a city famous for its German colonial heritage, cameras powered by artificial intelligence helped the police snatch two dozen criminal suspects in the midst of a big annual beer festival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In Wuhu, a fugitive murder suspect was identified by a camera as he bought food from a street vendor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">With millions of cameras and billions of lines of code, China is building a high-tech authoritarian future. Beijing is embracing technologies like facial recognition and artificial intelligence to identify and track 1.4 billion people. It wants to assemble a vast and unprecedented national surveillance system, with crucial help from its thriving technology industry.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cIn the past, it was all about instinct,\u201d said Shan Jun, the deputy chief of the police at the railway station in Zhengzhou, where the heroin smuggler was caught. \u201cIf you missed something, you missed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">China is reversing the commonly held vision of technology as a great democratizer, bringing people more freedom and connecting them to the world. In China, it has brought control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-18k05cz e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00chinaw-police-6\/merlin_138777474_35f19d30-531c-43cc-aef3-5fea3b429ad1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00chinaw-police-6\/merlin_138777474_35f19d30-531c-43cc-aef3-5fea3b429ad1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00chinaw-police-6\/merlin_138777474_35f19d30-531c-43cc-aef3-5fea3b429ad1-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00chinaw-police-6\/merlin_138777474_35f19d30-531c-43cc-aef3-5fea3b429ad1-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1giptky e3zkro30\"><span class=\"css-1v07nl7 e1olku6u0\">Megvii employees at the company\u2019s offices in Beijing.<\/span><span class=\"css-vg01wm e18m0s9i0\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Credit<\/span>Gilles Sabri\u00e9 for The New York Times<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In some cities, cameras scan train stations for China\u2019s most wanted. Billboard-size displays show the faces of jaywalkers and list the names of people who don\u2019t pay their debts. Facial recognition scanners guard the entrances to housing complexes. Already, China has an estimated 200 million surveillance cameras \u2014 four times as many as the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Such efforts supplement other systems that track internet use and communications, hotel stays, train and plane trips and even car travel in some places.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Even so, China\u2019s ambitions outstrip its abilities. Technology in place at one train station or crosswalk may be lacking in another city, or even the next block over. Bureaucratic inefficiencies prevent the creation of a nationwide network.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">For the Communist Party, that may not matter. Far from hiding their efforts, Chinese authorities regularly state, and overstate, their capabilities. In China, even the perception of surveillance can keep the public in line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Some places are further along than others. Invasive mass-surveillance software has been set up in the west to track members of the Uighur Muslim minority and map their relations with friends and family, according to software viewed by The New York Times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cThis is potentially a totally new way for the government to manage the economy and society,\u201d said Martin Chorzempa, a fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cThe goal is algorithmic governance,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<h2 class=\"css-1caa3mc eqpy7av0\">The Shame Game<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The intersection south of Changhong Bridge in the city of Xiangyang used to be a nightmare. Cars drove fast and jaywalkers darted into the street.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Then last summer, the police put up cameras linked to facial recognition technology and a big, outdoor screen. Photos of lawbreakers were displayed alongside their names and government I.D. numbers. People were initially excited to see their faces on the board, said Guan Yue, a spokeswoman, until propaganda outlets told them it was punishment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cIf you are captured by the system and you don\u2019t see it, your neighbors or colleagues will, and they will gossip about it,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s too embarrassing for people to take.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">China\u2019s new surveillance is based on an old idea: Only strong authority can bring order to a turbulent country. Mao Zedong took that philosophy to devastating ends, as his top-down rule brought\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/09\/06\/world\/asia\/06iht-letter06.html\">famine<\/a>\u00a0and then the Cultural Revolution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">His successors also craved order but feared the consequences of totalitarian rule. They formed a new understanding with the Chinese people. In exchange for political impotence, they would be mostly left alone and allowed to get rich.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">It worked. Censorship and police powers remained strong, but China\u2019s people still found more freedom. That new attitude helped usher in decades of breakneck economic growth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Today, that unwritten agreement is breaking down.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">China\u2019s economy isn\u2019t growing at the same pace. It suffers from a severe wealth gap. After four decades of fatter paychecks and better living, its people have higher expectations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-18k05cz e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\">\n<p><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-zjzyr8\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1h6w7uo e1t57l6r0\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinw-police-4\/merlin_138777438_142fdec2-f36d-474c-a52c-77f267844cf0-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinw-police-4\/merlin_138777438_142fdec2-f36d-474c-a52c-77f267844cf0-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinw-police-4\/merlin_138777438_142fdec2-f36d-474c-a52c-77f267844cf0-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinw-police-4\/merlin_138777438_142fdec2-f36d-474c-a52c-77f267844cf0-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1giptky e3zkro30\"><span class=\"css-1v07nl7 e1olku6u0\">Tourists waiting to visit the Mao Mausoleum in Beijing, under a pole holding 11 surveillance cameras.<\/span><span class=\"css-vg01wm e18m0s9i0\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Credit<\/span>Gilles Sabri\u00e9 for The New York Times<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Xi Jinping, China\u2019s top leader, has moved to solidify his power. Changes to Chinese law mean he could rule longer than any leader since Mao. And he has undertaken a broad corruption crackdown that could make him plenty of enemies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-4-wrapper\" class=\"ResponsiveAd-flexFrame--1PVri ResponsiveAd-storyBodyAd--35v2w\">\n<div id=\"story-ad-4-slug\" class=\"ResponsiveAd-adSlug--3H3QM\">\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">For support, he has turned to the Mao-era beliefs in the importance of a cult of personality and the role of the Communist Party in everyday life. Technology gives him the power to make it happen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cReform and opening has already failed, but no one dares to say it,\u201d said Chinese historian Zhang Lifan, citing China\u2019s four-decade post-Mao policy. \u201cThe current system has created severe social and economic segregation. So now the rulers use the taxpayers\u2019 money to monitor the taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Xi has launched a major upgrade of the Chinese surveillance state. China has become the world\u2019s biggest market for security and surveillance technology, with analysts estimating the country will have almost 300 million cameras installed by 2020. Chinese buyers will snap up more than three-quarters of all servers designed to scan video footage for faces, predicts IHS Markit, a research firm. China\u2019s police will\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/politics.caijing.com.cn\/20170930\/4340032.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spend an additional $30 billion<\/a>\u00a0in the coming years on techno-enabled snooping, according to one expert quoted in state media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Government contracts are fueling research and development into technologies that track faces, clothing and even a person\u2019s gait. Experimental gadgets, like facial-recognition glasses, have begun to appear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Judging public Chinese reaction can be difficult in a country where the news media is controlled by the government. Still, so far the average Chinese citizen appears to show little concern. Erratic enforcement of laws against everything from speeding to assault means the long arm of China\u2019s authoritarian government can feel remote from everyday life. As a result, many cheer on new attempts at law and order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cIt\u2019s one of the biggest intersections in the city,\u201d said Wang Fukang, a college student who volunteered as a guard at the crosswalk in Xiangyang. \u201cIt\u2019s important that it stays safe and orderly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-18k05cz e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\">\n<p><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-zjzyr8\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1h6w7uo e1t57l6r0\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinaw-police-5\/00chinaw-police-5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinaw-police-5\/00chinaw-police-5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinaw-police-5\/00chinaw-police-5-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinaw-police-5\/00chinaw-police-5-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1giptky e3zkro30\"><span class=\"css-1v07nl7 e1olku6u0\">At the Shanghai headquarters of the artificial intelligence start-up Yitu, a network of cameras linked to a facial recognition system monitors employees and can track their movements in the office.<\/span><span class=\"css-vg01wm e18m0s9i0\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Credit<\/span>Gilles Sabri\u00e9 for The New York Times<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<h2 class=\"css-1caa3mc eqpy7av0\">The Surveillance Start-Up<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Start-ups often make a point of insisting their employees use their technology. In Shanghai, a company called Yitu has taken that to the extreme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-5-wrapper\" class=\"ResponsiveAd-storyBodyAd--35v2w\">\n<div id=\"story-ad-5-slug\" class=\"ResponsiveAd-adSlug--3H3QM\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The halls of its offices are dotted with cameras, looking for faces. From desk to break room to exit, employees\u2019 paths are traced on a television screen with blue dotted lines. The monitor shows their comings and goings, all day, everyday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In China, snooping is becoming big business. As the country spends heavily on surveillance, a new generation of start-ups have risen to meet the demand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Chinese companies are developing globally competitive applications like image and voice recognition. Yitu took first place in a 2017 open contest for facial recognition algorithms held by the United States government\u2019s Office of the Director of National Intelligence. A number of other Chinese companies also scored well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">A technology boom in China is helping the government\u2019s surveillance ambitions. In sheer scale and investment, China already rivals Silicon Valley. Between the government and eager investors, surveillance start-ups have access to plenty of money and other resources.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In May, the upstart A.I. company SenseTime raised $620 million, giving it a valuation of about $4.5 billion. Yitu raised $200 million last month. Another rival, Megvii, raised $460 million from investors that included a state-backed fund created by China\u2019s top leadership.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">At a conference in May at an upscale hotel in Beijing, China\u2019s security-industrial complex offered its vision of the future. Companies big and small showed off facial-recognition security gates and systems that track cars around cities to local government officials, tech executives and investors.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Private companies see big potential in China\u2019s surveillance build-out. China\u2019s public security market was valued at more than $80 billion last year but could be worth even more as the country builds its capabilities, said Shen Xinyang, a former Google data scientist who is now chief technology officer of Eyecool, a start-up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cArtificial intelligence for public security is actually still a very insignificant portion of the whole market,\u201d he said, pointing out that most equipment currently in use was \u201cnonintelligent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Many of these businesses are already providing data to the government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Shen told the group that his company had surveillance systems at more than 20 airports and train stations, which had helped catch 1,000 criminals. Eyecool, he said, is also handing over two million facial images each day to a burgeoning big-data police system called Skynet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">At a building complex in Xiangyang, a facial-recognition system set up to let residents quickly through security gates adds to the police\u2019s collection of photos of local residents, according to local Chinese Communist Party officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Wen Yangli, an executive at Number 1 Community, which makes the product, said the company is at work on other applications. One would detect when crowds of people are clashing. Another would allow police to use virtual maps of buildings to find out who lives where.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">China\u2019s surveillance companies are also looking to test the appetite for high-tech surveillance abroad. Yitu says it has been expanding overseas, with plans to increase business in regions like Southeast Asia and the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">At home, China is preparing its people for next-level surveillance technology. A recent state-media propaganda film called \u201cAmazing China\u201d showed off a similar virtual map that provided police with records of utility use, saying it could be used for predictive policing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cIf there are anomalies, the system sends an alert,\u201d a narrator says, as Chinese police officers pay a visit to an apartment with a record of erratic utility use. The film then quotes one of the officers: \u201cNo matter which corner you escape to, we\u2019ll bring you to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-18k05cz e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\">\n<p><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-zjzyr8\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1h6w7uo e1t57l6r0\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinaw-police-7\/merlin_138777552_38faf2c0-2297-474b-ba3c-178fa1060194-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinaw-police-7\/merlin_138777552_38faf2c0-2297-474b-ba3c-178fa1060194-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinaw-police-7\/merlin_138777552_38faf2c0-2297-474b-ba3c-178fa1060194-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/07\/world\/00chinaw-police-7\/merlin_138777552_38faf2c0-2297-474b-ba3c-178fa1060194-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1giptky e3zkro30\"><span class=\"css-1v07nl7 e1olku6u0\">A video showing facial recognition software in use at the Megvii showroom in Beijing.<\/span><span class=\"css-vg01wm e18m0s9i0\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Credit<\/span>Gilles Sabri\u00e9 for The New York Times<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<h2 class=\"css-1caa3mc eqpy7av0\">Enter the Panopticon<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">For technology to be effective, it doesn\u2019t always have to work. Take China\u2019s facial-recognition glasses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Police in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou recently showed off the specs at a high-speed rail station for state media and others. They snapped photos of a policewoman peering from behind the shaded lenses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">But the glasses work only if the target stands still for several seconds. They have been used mostly to check travelers for fake identifications.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">China\u2019s national database of individuals it has flagged for watching \u2014 including suspected terrorists, criminals, drug traffickers, political activists and others \u2014 includes 20 million to 30 million people, said one technology executive who works closely with the government. That is too many people for today\u2019s facial recognition technology to parse, said the executive, who asked not to be identified because the information wasn\u2019t public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The system remains more of a digital patchwork than an all-seeing technological network. Many files still aren\u2019t digitized, and others are on mismatched spreadsheets that can\u2019t be easily reconciled. Systems that police hope will someday be powered by A.I. are currently run by teams of people sorting through photos and data the old-fashioned way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-8-wrapper\" class=\"ResponsiveAd-flexFrame--1PVri ResponsiveAd-storyBodyAd--35v2w\">\n<div id=\"story-ad-8-slug\" class=\"ResponsiveAd-adSlug--3H3QM\">\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Take, for example, the crosswalk in Xiangyang. The images don\u2019t appear instantaneously. The billboard often shows jaywalkers from weeks ago, though authorities have recently reduced the lag to about five or six days. Officials said humans still sift through the images to match them to people\u2019s identities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Still, Chinese authorities who are generally mum about security have embarked on a campaign to persuade the country\u2019s people that the high-tech security state is already in place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">China\u2019s propagandists are fond of stories in which police use facial recognition to spot wanted criminals at events. An\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/sc.people.com.cn\/n2\/2018\/0525\/c345459-31624714.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">article<\/a>\u00a0in People\u2019s Daily, the Communist Party\u2019s official newspaper, covered a series of arrests made with the aid of facial recognition at concerts of the pop star Jackie Cheung. The piece referenced some of the singer\u2019s lyrics: \u201cYou are a boundless net of love that easily trapped me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In many places, it works. At the intersection in Xiangyang, jaywalking has decreased. At the building complex where Number 1 Community\u2019s facial-recognition gate system has been installed, a problem with bike theft ceased entirely, according to building management.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-18k05cz e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\">\n<p><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-zjzyr8\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1h6w7uo e1t57l6r0\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00chinw-police-2\/merlin_139159425_64d5842f-f136-499e-ad80-a1e73745fe73-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00chinw-police-2\/merlin_139159425_64d5842f-f136-499e-ad80-a1e73745fe73-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00chinw-police-2\/merlin_139159425_64d5842f-f136-499e-ad80-a1e73745fe73-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/09\/world\/00chinw-police-2\/merlin_139159425_64d5842f-f136-499e-ad80-a1e73745fe73-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1giptky e3zkro30\"><span class=\"css-1v07nl7 e1olku6u0\">An outdoor screen in Xiangyang displays photos of jaywalkers alongside their names and I.D. numbers. The idea is to embarrass offenders into compliance.<\/span><span class=\"css-vg01wm e18m0s9i0\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Credit<\/span>Gilles Sabri\u00e9 for The New York Times<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cThe whole point is that people don\u2019t know if they\u2019re being monitored, and that uncertainty makes people more obedient,\u201d said Mr. Chorzempa, the Peterson Institute fellow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">He described the approach as a panopticon, the idea that people will follow the rules precisely because they don\u2019t know whether they are being watched.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ResponsiveAd-adSlug--3H3QM\">\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In Zhengzhou, police were happy to explain how just the thought of the facial recognition glasses could get criminals to confess.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Shan, the Zhengzhou railway station deputy police chief, cited the time his department grabbed a heroin smuggler. While questioning the suspect, Mr. Shan said, police pulled out the glasses and told the man that what he said didn\u2019t matter. The glasses could give them all the information they needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cBecause he was afraid of being found out by the advanced technology, he confessed,\u201d said Mr. Shan, adding that the suspect had swallowed 60 small packs of heroin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t even use any interrogation techniques,\u201d Mr. Shan said. \u201cHe simply gave it all up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-of-article\">\n<div class=\"css-1hc8e7p\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-k8fkhk\">\n<p><em>Carolyn Zhang contributed reporting from Zhengzhou.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A video showing facial recognition software in use at the headquarters of the artificial intelligence company Megvii in Beijing.CreditGilles Sabrie for The New York Times By\u00a0Paul Mozur July 8, 2018 (NYTimes.com) ZHENGZHOU, China \u2014 In the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, a police officer wearing facial recognition glasses spotted a heroin&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2018\/07\/19\/inside-chinas-dystopian-dreams-a-i-shame-and-lots-of-cameras\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9157"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9157"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9159,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9157\/revisions\/9159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}