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: A Camera May Be Watching You
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The use of security cameras such as these, looking out over Tiananmen Square in Beijing, is on the rise in China. Critics say the government is using them to discourage dissidents. Ed Jones /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
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Ed Jones /AFP/Getty Images
The use of security cameras such as these, looking out over Tiananmen Square in Beijing, is on the rise in China. Critics say the government is using them to discourage dissidents. Ed Jones /AFP/Getty Images
The first of two reports
China is becoming a surveillance state. 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.