“Skynet”, China’s massive video surveillance network
Skynet is the Chinese government’s video surveillance system, which it claims is for tracking criminals. Under the project, more than 20 million cameras have been set up in public spaces across the country.
It’s said to be able to catch a fugitive within minutes.
State media boasts that it’s the world’s biggest surveillance network, calling it “the eyes that safeguard China” -- but it’s also led to fears about the impact of constant surveillance on the public at large, and that it might be used to target dissidents.
To be clear, the project has nothing to do with the villainous AI from The Terminator films, despite sharing the same name. Rather, it’s a literal translation of its Chinese name “Tianwang”, which is part of an idiom that means justice is always done.
While few Chinese citizens have voiced concerns about the omnipresent surveillance cameras, local and international activists are worried that the Communist Party might be using the tool to target dissidents.
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