The Chinese capital of Beijing has been completely covered by surveillance cameras to watch over the city during the Chinese National Day holidays, which run from October 1st through October 7th. Citizens will be happy to know that every street corner within the major city will be monitored by their government.
The video surveillance system is being referred to as “Sky Net”, and it has been upgraded several times since 2012. The week-long holiday represents the first time that 100% of the city has been placed under government surveillance.
Reports show that the number of cameras in Beijing rose by 29% from this time period last year.
The increased amount of video surveillance is supposedly part of efforts by government authorities to tighten security and fight against crime. Meanwhile, police presence in public places including markets, bus stations and parks has also risen, making China more of a police state than it already was.
Chinese officials say that this expanded system has improved the efficiency of police officers.
Thanks to the system, officers have solved 1,500 cases since the start of the year. The number of detained suspects is currently at 2,370, which is 5% more than that of last year.
During the Beijing Summer Olympic Games in 2008, the city had an estimated 300,000 security cameras. Since then, that number has grown tremendously.
However, China’s increased security efforts may have implications in the United States as well.
The possibility of the Chinese government spying on America is a very real threat. If the Chinese government is taking extreme efforts to spy on its own people, then it is very likely also going out of its way to spy on people across the world as well. That includes the United States.
China would relish the opportunity to get its hands on American military technology, such as drones. The Chinese government would also likely use spying in order to get an edge when it comes to global trade. All in all, China’s security and spying efforts could lead to major future consequences for the United States.
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