Now that probably is the most astonishing news I heard in the last few days. But then on second thought- maybe not. I did have to wake up from my afternoon siesta and hear that Benazir Bhutto was shot dead. Now that was a bit startling but we have come to expect that from Pakistan since the last 60 years, so we will leave that. China is bracing itself up for the Olympics ahead and they are trying to make sure that they take up every possible security measure to ensure that nothing nasty happens on the grandest sporting stage of them all.
It is the Olympics and China is aware of the fact that the world will be watching every move in the country for the two months. China is taking the help of major Chinese firms such as Honeywell, General Electric, United Technologies and I.B.M. to ensure that no unwarranted event happens in during the celebration of human excellence. With China’s market being open to foreign surveillance systems after more than a decade or so, it is no wonder that companies are eager to tap the vast Chinese market.
Honeywell has already started helping the police to set up an elaborate computer monitoring system to analyze feeds from indoor and outdoor cameras in one of Beijing’s most populated districts, where several Olympic sites are located. I.B.M. is installing a similar system in Beijing that should be ready before the Olympics and will analyze and catalog people and behavior. This system is called the Smart Surveillance System and is the state-of-art technology in surveillance field.
United Technologies, another surveillance maker has already taken to Southeastern China to fix, integrate and ensure that its network of over 2000 cameras work well. So what is the problem with all this? It should be a welcome thing as athletes can feel safe and secure, but not everyone feels so. Some believe that the whole trade in surveillance systems is a violation in the spirit, if not the letter, of the American law written in response to the military crackdown at Tiananmen Square in 1989. Many believe that the US Department of Commerce is already looking in to it. The problem is that many believe the Chinese government will use these camera systems to spy on civilian activities and suppress them. It is the problem that is inherent with every authoritarian state.
