Title: In China, Beware: A Camera May Be Watching You : NPR
Headings: In China, Beware: A Camera May Be Watching You
Asia
In China, Beware: A Camera May Be Watching You
Life Under Surveillance
Cameras Everywhere
Some Feel Safer, Many Feel Dread
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Content: In recent years, the government has installed more than 20 million cameras across a country where a decade ago there weren't many. Today, in Chinese cities, cameras are everywhere: on highways, in public parks, on balconies, in elevators, in taxis, even in the stands at sporting events. Officials say the cameras help combat crime and maintain "social stability" — a euphemism for shutting up critics. In fact, the government routinely uses cameras to monitor and intimidate dissidents. Human rights activists worry that more surveillance will erode the freedom of ordinary people and undermine what little ability they have to question their rulers. Life Under Surveillance
Li Tiantian knows firsthand how the state can use video images against people it doesn't like. Li, 46, is an outspoken human rights lawyer in Shanghai. Police watch Li so closely, it's best to visit her after dark and use a grove of trees behind her apartment building as cover. Once inside, she'll tell you to turn off your cellphone and put it in another room.