Beijing, April 5 (IANS) A Chinese tourist’s recent visit to Beijing reveals a rapidly expanding system of identity control in the Communist country, one that combines big data and facial recognition technology to monitor movement across the public places of China’s capital, a report said.
A Chinese tourist shared on social media that he passed through security checks six times and was required to scan his national ID card 15 times during his recent five-day visit to Beijing, according to a report in The Epoch Times.
In a video shared on WeChat, he said, “Basically, everywhere you go, you have to scan your ID.”
He added, “At tourist sites, subway stations, and many public spaces, there are ID checkpoints. Your trip gets interrupted again and again.”
“His experience offers a window into a rapidly expanding system of identity control in Beijing — one that integrates big data and facial recognition technology to monitor movement across the city’s public spaces,” a report in The Epoch Times added.
“Several petitioners, rights advocates, and other individuals who spoke to The Epoch Times say the system reflects a broader shift toward data-driven social control, raising concerns about privacy and civil liberties in China. They spoke to the publication on condition of anonymity or only publishing their surnames out of fear of reprisal,” the report said.
Security checks and ID verification have become nearly unavoidable for people in Beijing. Subway stations regularly ask for bag inspections while many places require ID scans linked directly to personal data systems. The system can be even more restrictive for certain groups.
Speaking to The Epoch Times, a woman surnamed Li, who has repeatedly visited Beijing to petition regime authorities said that scrutiny has increased.
According to the report, petitioning is an administrative process for hearing complaints and grievances of people. However, human rights groups have alleged that authorities routinely dismiss petitions and often persecutes those who are not satisfied with the authoritarian rule of the regime.
She said, “I just came back from Beijing. This time, the checks were more frequent than before.”
“Places like Tiananmen Square all have security checks. Petitioners are basically inspected wherever they go,” she added.
According to her, individuals flagged as “key persons” in some cases may be stopped entirely.
She said, “If you’re considered a priority target, you may not be allowed to pass at all. They’ll detain you and hand you over to your local authorities.”
Others termed it a system that functions through invisible digital monitoring and not just through physical checkpoints.
–IANS
akl/khz
