How China Tracks Everyone

VICE's Elle Reeve heads to China to investigate the rise of facial recognition technology — and what that means for all of us.

This report originally aired April 13, 2018, on VICE on HBO.

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[simplyparkour]

I don't think people understand how creepy this is.

[SaudiHaramco]

"we're building a giant satelite which we call the 'death star.' it's inspired by star wars, but we want to use it to do good."

[maartendj]

Sci-fi movie writers: Let's warn the public about the dark sides of technology.

Chinese viewers: Very inspiring content, thank you!

[dannyzero]

You know naming a smart surveillance system "Skynet" doesn't fair too well.

[HazyJ]

HUMANITY NEEDS TO REALIZE THAT WHEN YOU GIVE UP PRIVACY FOR SECURITY, YOU END UP WITH NEITHER.

[devashish_]

When your FBI agent is being watched by his Chinese Agent

[Democracy-is-non-negotiable]

This is what they are willing to tell us

[Keltrexxx]

When art imitates life, it’s beautiful
When life imitates art, it’s just plain scary

[chrispenney]

"So what does the future of this technology look like?" "An episode of black mirror." "But that is a horror show!" haha."

[hrres]

i don’t like this episode of black mirror

[Fishfingers]

It's scary, that guy's seen black mirror so it's not like he's ignorant, but has taken completely the wrong message from it.

[CptUhudini]

I’m 100% convinced that the guy from the company lied when he said he isn’t worried about privacy. He was too scared to say something, he would have lost is job

[Azrael]

When black mirror is no longer fiction, but a documentary film

[kevintoner]

“So in the movie skynet is evil.... but in China skynet is good?”

“Yeah that’s the difference “ *nervously adjusts glasses*

[yuntongshu]

Citizens will become totally transparent in front of the government by this technology, then how about the government? it has never been transparent to its own citizen

[Lousy_Bastard]

The western world is heading the same way just a bit slower and also done covertly.

[leonardouau]

Guys, stop using "well but the people don't complain about the system" as an argument, there's obvious reasons to why they don't complain

[georgewashington]

I'm a tech nerd but for this I'm willing to go back to the stone ages. Just sick.

[jessicatbeauty]

They literally referenced black mirror as an INSPIRATION! This is the start to every dystopian novel ever

[sergioinnit]

china tracks its citizens

every government in the world: sweating in the distance