
Smart ID cards and facial recognition: How China spreads surveillance tech around the world
Chinese companies sell monitoring technology to foreign governments
A lucrative Chinese export has found eager customers from Asia to South America.
I’m not talking about cheap clothes or electronics. Increasingly, governments from around the world are turning to China for technology that enables surveillance and tracking.
And that’s merely one instrument in China’s giant surveillance toolbox.

On some occasions, they are said to be feeding data back to China.

And that’s only the beginning.

It’s an image that China is eager to show off to the world, judged by the abundance of facial recognition firms in last week’s World Internet Conference, an annual showcase held by the Chinese government in the historic city of Wuzhen.
There, the country’s propaganda chief championed the idea that each country should choose their own digital future, without interference from the outside.
“We should adhere to the principle of respecting cyber sovereignty, respecting every individual country’s right to choose its own development path for cyberspace, model of cyber governance and internet public policy,” he said.
Tiny spy gear that fits in a USB cable widely available in China
For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
