Chinese Taxis Install Hidden Photo, Video and Audio To Spy On Passengers

Chinese Taxis Install Hidden Photo, Video and Audio To Spy On Passenger

Chinese taxis in the city of Nanjing have installed audio and video equipment to record the conversations and behavior of all passengers the government sanctioned China Daily newspaper reported on July 20^th.

9,000 of the cities’ 9,132 taxis have the equipment installed which is so small that it isn’t noticeable. Most of the passengers are unaware that they are continuously photographed, filmed and vocally recorded throughout their journey. One passenger did see a small sign in the back of the taxi informing them that they were being recorded according to the report. The material about passengers is stored for several months afterwards and was first implemented in 2010. The materials are securely kept and only the Public Security Bureau (government) has access to them. Nanjing’s Public Security Bureau declined to comment according the China Daily.

Postscript: As a resident of Shanghai from England the interesting thing to note is that overall, surveillance in the UK is more widespread there than here. It’s only a question of time before similar measures in taxi cabs are carried out in the U.S and Europe. Naturally, it will be sold to us as a vital security measure “for our protection” – as it no doubt will when they eventually put the same equipment in our homes. In my view it’s when, not if.

After doing my own research I was unable to find any studies indicating that public surveillance reduces crime. The mathematical odds of you or me being the victim of a terrorist attack are a billion to one against. The chances however, that your own government will lead you into unemployment, poverty or downgraded life quality, spend your tax dollars on things you don’t agree with, send your fellow citizens home in body bags fighting unjust wars, allow corporations to completely pollute your environment and continue to remove your civil liberties is a mathematical certainty. When you come home to your local airport from China to the “free” Western world and the surveillance, questioning and body searching is worse in a “democracy” than China you know something is very, very wrong. The truth is that there’s no difference in the freedom level in what you see in China, London, or any American city because well, there’s no difference. We’re just told there is and some people will believe anything. Your eyes don’t lie if even the government does, so stick with your own intuition for the truth. There’s never a justifiable reason to remove freedom in a truly free society.

Update: I just read that the local government in Southampton, England has been using a similar system. Why am I not surprised?