China: 'You are under facial recognition cameras!'

China possesses one of the largest and most extensive CCTV systems in the world. Currently, there are over 170 million CCTV cameras in the country, and some reports indicate that the Chinese government aims to increase this number to 450 million by 2020. The capital of China is now fully covered by these cameras, many of which are either equipped with facial recognition systems or are expected to be soon. Since early 2018, some police forces in China have also been equipped with smart glasses that have facial recognition capabilities. These cameras scan individuals' faces and send the data for review to databases. Now, a technology company named SenseTime, with significant investment in artificial intelligence, is attempting to provide more solutions for the government to 'control' citizens. Bloomberg News reports that SenseTime is developing software called Viper, which can process information from thousands of cameras using AI to identify individuals suspected by the Chinese government. Zhou Li, the founder of SenseTime, stated that the new technology being developed by his company does not 'interfere' with the privacy of the Chinese people, as only specific individuals have access to this system. SenseTime claims to have raised $600 million for AI development, with investment from Alibaba, one of the largest online retail companies. This investment has increased SenseTime's value to over $4.5 billion, making it one of the largest AI companies in the world. Reports indicate that the Chinese police, with the help of SenseTime, can be extensively equipped with tracking and facial recognition services. For example, software has been prepared for the security office of Guangzhou city to match surveillance footage from crime scenes with images of criminals in the database. Several individuals have recently been located and arrested using facial recognition cameras. On the other hand, critics of this system argue that this technology leads to the control of people's private details and the tracking of political opponents or critics of the Chinese government. Meanwhile, it is reported that since 2017, the Chinese police have initiated this plan in Xinjiang province, the main residence of Uyghurs and Muslims in the country. The program matches the faces of ordinary people with those of 'suspects' to arrest individuals deemed 'guilty' by the Chinese government. Last year, a senior security official in Beijing labeled 'separatist Islamists' as the biggest security threat to China. At the same time, human rights organizations have accused the Chinese government of repressive policies against protesting Uyghurs. Recently, an Associated Press journalist stated that he was under surveillance by cameras at all times while reporting in Xinjiang. This technology is not only available to the police but is also used by various stores; for instance, Alibaba uses facial recognition for users to access their accounts. However, there are concerns that even commercial and non-governmental systems like Alibaba may ultimately strengthen the Chinese police's facial recognition database. Besides Alibaba, some banks, insurance companies, and retail centers in China are also being equipped with this system for user access to their accounts.