This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now licensed for reprint.
As part of a complete “grid” monitoring plan, authorities in a single area of Chongqing said Monday, installing 27, 900 monitoring cameras and 245 sensors as part of the complete “grid” surveillance plan.
The action provides a unique insight into how China’s “grid” program operates, which closely monitors every aspect of its residents ‘ lives to facilitate disputes, influence public opinion, and stifle protests and opposition.
Lin Xuyang, a delegate to the National People’s Congress and the head of Chongqing’s Beibei District Committee, stated to delegates in Beijing on March 10 that” we in Beibei district have fully pressed the fast-forward button to promote the construction of a digital Chongqing [and ] deepened networked governance to build a smart grassroots governance system.”
The yearly gathering of members from different states comes to an end on Tuesday.
” There is certainly no one way to govern, but perfection is definitely one of them,” Lin said, referring to the local grid monitoring and surveillance systems as “fine needlework.”
According to him, “people are the key to leadership,” adding that” the network leader,” full- and part-time network members are needed to coordinate “more than 10,000 party associate volunteers” and other volunteers have recently been extended from district to private compound level.
Monitors ‘ reports on residents ‘ activities
China established a vastly expanded “grid management” system of social control in both rural and urban areas in July 2021. This includes enforcing local authorities ‘ powers to enforce the law at the town, village, and area levels.
The grid system divides up neighborhoods into a network design with 15-20 homeowners per rectangular, according to commands released in 2018. A track is housed in each network and provides updates on residents ‘ matters to local committees.
According to state media, China’s “red bracelet” regiment of state-approved busybodies has been dubbed the largest intelligence community on the planet by social media users and has provided information that has also helped police crack big organized crime.
Neighborhood committees in China have long been given the task of monitoring the actions of regular citizens in urban areas, while its grid management system boosts the capacity of officials even in rural areas to keep track of what local residents are saying and doing.
These local dialects of social control, surveillance, and social control are known as the” Fengqiao Experience” in Chinese political jargon.
In the wake of the and Zhuhai car killings, officials were instructed to use big data to target potential trouble before it becomes apparent.
A former employee of a residential complex in Chongqing who used the camera only for fear of reprisals claimed that the cameras are mostly used to track the actions of local residents.
This type of surveillance has been around for a while, Yang said. Its official name is SkyNet. It’s known as Project Xueliang in rural areas.
According to Yang,” Its purpose is to keep an eye on what’s happening in every neighborhood.” Every action of people occurs under their watchful eye.
Effort to lower costs
Local governments are struggling to pay for the staffing costs of the “grid” surveillance system, so are installing automated, digital equipment to monitor people in contrast, according to a resident of the central province of Henan who only gave the nickname Lao Wan.
Lao Wan remarked,” These cameras have two main causes,” adding that. They want to lower administrative costs because they can’t afford to pay their grid workers, and they also can’t afford to pay their employees.
” That’s why they have mobilized civilians and volunteers to do this work,” he said of older men and women who have nothing to do. They appear to be just being nice to their neighbors, but in reality they are monitoring your every word and deed.
Authorities in the southeast of the port city of Xiamen have set up “neighborhood supervision” stations in 11 streets and 144 residential communities in Tong’an district in an effort to improve “grassroots governance,” according to the ruling Communist Party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily.
Local governments are struggling to pay wages, and legal affairs expert Lu Chenyuan said they are coordinating older people as volunteers to implement the government’s” stability maintenance” system.
In the face of a sharp decline in tax revenues, Lu said,” It’s a way to lower administrative costs and maintain stability.”
