Niklas Swanström interviewed by Svenska Dagbladet on surveillance in today’s China

December 5, 2022: Niklas Swanström, ISDP’s Executive Director, was interviewed by Svenska Dagbladet on the surveillance in China.

Surveillance cameras, apps, credit card control and internet censorship. China, under authoritarian leader Xi Jinping, keeps a tight rein on its people, summarizes Svenska Dagbladet.

“Then they track credit cards, where the government can see what you buy as an individual, and that gets fed into the social ranking system. If you buy the wrong things or are in the wrong place, you get minus points and if you do good things you get plus points and then you move up,” explains Niklas Swanström.

Those who score poorly in the rankings may face travel and job constraints, while a good ranking, on the contrary, can lead to advantages in today’s China.

“It is a way for the state to see where it is going. If they see a downward trend, they may want to talk to the person, or their employer. You just get scored,” says Niklas Swanström.

You can find out more about this topic here (interview in Swedish).