When learning about China’s method of tracking its citizens with surveillance cameras and ranking them based on political and social benchmarks set by the Communist Party, comparisons to Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Big Brother are inevitable.

China now leads in surveillance technology, mostly powered by artificial intelligence. This represents a significant intensification of policing ideologies reminiscent of the Mao era. As reported by David Pierson and Berry Wang, China is exporting this model to authoritarian states and unstable democracies globally.

A story from a village in the Solomon Islands illustrates this trend. There, young men under the influence caused disturbances, leading residents to seek police help. However, responding officers were Chinese, representing a security agreement with Beijing.

The officers proposed gathering fingerprints, palm prints, and detailed personal information of each resident. This approach mirrors a Mao-era community surveillance strategy recently updated under President Xi Jinping. This system prompts individuals to monitor and report others, aiming to eliminate political adversaries.