We hear a little bit about surveillance in Xinjiang in the international press, and even less about Tibet. But the situation is similar, according to this article on Eurasia.com (which I have no prior or independent knowledge of – the author of this article appears to be based in India and towards the bottom has some positive partisan things to say about India’s approach in Kashmir compared to China’s approach in Xinjiang and Tibet).

The AI-driven civilian surveillance systems deployed in the region are derived from military-grade C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) systems.

China has created a “widespread optical fibre cable network” and uses satellite stations (VSAT) to create an effective and secure command and control network across Tibet. Comprehensive broadband connections enable the government to monitor and control the flow of information…

The integration of a panoply of advanced technologies in Tibet  – AI-driven systems fusing facial recognition with internet browsing and app-based monitoring, DNA and genomic surveillance, and GIS tracking data – underlines the emergence of a terrifying approach to governance in the 21st century. It uses machine learning to power systems that prioritise state control and suppression over individual liberties and self-determination.

The situation in these Chinese provinces (and Gaza, which is a much more violent version) is interesting/concerning to me as an example of today’s surveillance and data management technologies taken to extremes in service of sinister social control. It’s probably happening other places that aren’t in the news, and probably happening in more subtle ways right under my nose as I write this.