Security crisis: focus on the controversial Chinese model for monitoring and punishing offenders

There are hundreds of thousands of cameras positioned in different spaces in Shanghai, China . And more precisely in the Pudong district, a financial center of great importance for the Asian country.

Streets, highways, train stations, intersections and busy centers are just some of the places in which these devices are located, which are examined by the City Brain monitoring center.

As the name suggests, it is called the “brain” of the city and its employees are responsible for managing the cameras, which They are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to scan images .

Along with this, the system collection of data from the administration and management of public goods .

With these tools, the software can detect violations of local regulations and laws, as well as possible threats to the security .

Sheng Dandan, deputy director of City Brain in Pudong and one of the designers of the platform since 2018, explained to Deutsche Welle in 2021, “For us citizens, the system helps provide a safe, orderly and clean environment” .

“For the government, it is a tool to manage the city more efficiently” .

Sheng Dandan clarified that until now only they had access to approximately 290,000 cameras .

According to the aforementioned media, this is a plan that Chinese authorities have sought to expand and that, while it has drawn widespread criticism in other countries, it has sparked little opposition in the Chinese city.

In addition to surveillance footage, Pudong City Brain also collected household data .

With this information, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, they were able to verify that the quarantine was respected .

For that, They installed sensors on the apartment doors to detect non-compliance with restrictions and inform health authorities, Sheng Dandan explained.

It is This is just one of the measures that have been adopted to strengthen both security and control over what is happening. in different Chinese cities.

In this way they can detect those responsible for acts ranging from crossing a street at the wrong time to committing a major crime . And then, take action to arrest him.

When the topic of security in China is raised, Their “social credit system” is generally presented as a unified project that monitors citizens and automatically awards them points, then sanctions or rewards them accordingly. to his behavior.

However, This definition is imprecise .

The “social credit system” refers to several different initiatives that share similar concepts and involve various public and private entities. explains a magazine article Scientific objective which was released in August 2023.

The idea of ​​having a system of sanctions and rewards began to take shape at the beginning of the century, as a means of regulating economic misconduct and building trust. .

Certain offences would fall under this type of offence, such as non-payment of debts or fines and sale of counterfeit or non-safety compliant products to only cite a few.

It was under this initial motivation that the Chinese authorities announced in 2014 a plan aimed at to build “an environment in public opinion in which trust will be glorious” .

Similarly, they warned that the system “will reward those who denounce acts of breach of trust” .

Under the above-mentioned principle, different lists have been created .

The most important is the Supreme People’s Court, which brings together individuals and companies that have not complied with a court decision. against him.

According to the aforementioned media, Their identities are publicly revealed and multiple sanctions are applied. .

For example, these will from ineligibility for government loans to limitations on air travel and hotels where they can stay.

This list is supplemented by others from more specific organizations and those that have been applied by local authorities .

These latter vary from each other .

An example cited by Science Focus is that of Shenzhen, where they have recognition cameras to identify when someone is crossing a street inappropriately After five violations, individuals are placed on a list.

Another of the most commented cases that has generated The biggest impact in the world is Rongcheng .

An article by MIT Technology Review details that, In 2013, the city began giving its residents a basic personal credit of 1,000 points, a number that could be influenced positively or negatively. depending on the actions of the subjects.

For example, In 2016, it was decided that “spreading harmful information on WeChat – a Chinese multi-purpose application – photos and blogs” would result in the loss of 50 people. points.

On the other hand, on the other side, “winning a national sporting or cultural competition” would translate to winning 40 points.

Among the benefits promised in different places, there are some like ease of booking municipal sports facilities, cheaper parking and the right to request more book loans from the library as detailed in an article by The Economist .

Even, benefit from “priority service” in emergency rooms a government office employee told the business newspaper in 2019.

A “model citizen” of Nanjing, Xiao Wen Wang, said: France 24 that same year as its maximum mark according to the standards of this locality They allowed him to pay half of a ticket buses and benefit from “discounts on all public services” .

However, according to media outlets dependent on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Quantitative grading systems have been limited and have not been applied across the country in a unified and general manner. .

However, it is stated that In 2021, the Chinese government published a list detailing authorized sanctions measures. .

Between these, There are some restrictions, such as restrictions on air travel or sending your children to very expensive private schools. for not paying what was stipulated by the court.

Such services They are considered “luxury” which prevents some offenders from accessing it.