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From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

reuters.com

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Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#41

Post by seanmcdirmid »

WillPostForFood wrote: post #36
tepidandroid wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm really tired of people fawning over China. Where are you seeing this? Any thread even remotely involving China is 95% filled with anti-Chinese posts, such as your own. There were a few this week. Heck, look in this very same comment thread -where are the 'fawners' you speak of?

Not sure about fawning, but every time there is a negative post about China, there is always a big thread of “we are just as bad”.

Those are just normal what aboutisms. Either side will feel like they are the underdog anyways, critical-China will complain about too many pro-China posts, pro-China will complain a bit too many anti-china posts. There is still enough of the latter because HN has plenty of Chinese readers and hasn’t been blocked in China (yet).

Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#42

Post by seanmcdirmid »

yorwba wrote: post #37
tepidandroid wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only demographic I can think of that would dedicate so much time denigrating a country with such force and vitriol are the ex-pats. SV types, though very left leaning, are far too busy. A common pattern to look for is large blocks of hand-wavy, conjecture-fuelled text with little in the way of facts and substance.

Do you mean ex-pats from China living in other countries, or ex-pats from other countries now living in China?

I think they means the latter. We (well, I used to be one) have a reputation for being salty, though we are just very critical having lived the life and seen things for real.

Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#43

Post by pixl97 »

felix_nagaand wrote: post #33
gonehome wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wearing a mask isn't enough because they're also working on gait recognition, you'd have to change up how you walk every time you leave too.

Pebbles in one or both shoes, plus a thick insole, and some sort of tourniquet on a leg just loose to allow blood to flow will be sufficient to trick these for sometime so long as one can carefully conceal any other uniquely identifying factors.

I can only imagine getting caught trying to defeat these systems will have horrifying ramifications.

Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#44

Post by onetimemanytime »

felix_nagaand wrote: post #33
gonehome wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wearing a mask isn't enough because they're also working on gait recognition, you'd have to change up how you walk every time you leave too.

Pebbles in one or both shoes, plus a thick insole, and some sort of tourniquet on a leg just loose to allow blood to flow will be sufficient to trick these for sometime so long as one can carefully conceal any other uniquely identifying factors.

The system needs to be right one time only. You cannot afford to make a mistake and odds are stacked against you. You cannot do that unless you are wanted for xx years of jail, otherwise it's too big of a burden...day after day.

Plus, they'll know by your smartphone (pay, map++ apps) where you are. Merge the data and there you go.

Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#45

Post by WillPostForFood »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #41
WillPostForFood wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure about fawning, but every time there is a negative post about China, there is always a big thread of “we are just as bad”.

Those are just normal what aboutisms. Either side will feel like they are the underdog anyways, critical-China will complain about too many pro-China posts, pro-China will complain a bit too many anti-china posts. There is still enough of the latter because HN has plenty of Chinese readers and hasn’t been blocked in China (yet).

My sense is that it isn't Chinese HN readers defending China, it is self hating westerners.

Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#46

Post by LeftTurnSignal »

WillPostForFood wrote: post #36
tepidandroid wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm really tired of people fawning over China. Where are you seeing this? Any thread even remotely involving China is 95% filled with anti-Chinese posts, such as your own. There were a few this week. Heck, look in this very same comment thread -where are the 'fawners' you speak of?

Not sure about fawning, but every time there is a negative post about China, there is always a big thread of “we are just as bad”.

It seems like any thread about China or Microsoft or xxxxx devolves into a pissing match between A is better than B types.

The good thing? about these posts being so common is it's a HUGE sign that I'm done with the thread and time to go somewhere new.

The bad thing is that sometimes those comment threads do have good information. Such is life I think.

Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#47

Post by seanmcdirmid »

WillPostForFood wrote: post #45
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are just normal what aboutisms. Either side will feel like they are the underdog anyways, critical-China will complain about too many pro-China posts, pro-China will complain a bit too many anti-china posts. There is still enough of the latter because HN has plenty of Chinese readers and hasn’t been blocked in China (yet).

My sense is that it isn't Chinese HN readers defending China, it is self hating westerners.

Who knows. I’m sure there is a bit of both.

Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#49

Post by assblaster »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #38
assblaster wrote: post #4

I have first hand experience in Xinjiang a decade ago. Based on this report, it's gotten even worse. What I remember most was: 1) nearly hourly MMS messages to my flip phone from unknown numbers with an unknown attachment. Since my phone was bought outside China, the MMS attachment didn't automatically open the likely spyware. 2) Being followed and monitored by plainclothes policemen 3) Having my hotel room searched…

Was that in Urumqi or somewhere out near the border in 北疆? I went in 2006, so it wasn’t that bad yet.

Urumqi was the absolute worst as far as overt surveillance and military intimidation.

Kashgar was surprisingly not as bad. Smaller cities around Kashgar such as Yarkant or Karglik were also not bad.

I think China is approaching Xinjiang as a slow but persistent conquerer would: get a foothold in a major city, transform it in your image (Han), then move out to surrounding communities until all are pacified.

Re: From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

#50

Post by onetimemanytime »

padthai wrote: post #18
onetimemanytime wrote: post #3

This tech will be sold to every country in the world, completed with language files. Plug and play. That's the even sadder part.

I have a friend that worked developing Internet in Equatorial Guinea around 2014. He told me that in a couple of occasions, Chinese teams came there to install surveillance systems. So this is already happening.

Countries that started from zero have an advantage over western countries: no legacy systems to interact with. Just brand new apps
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