^TagChina

Business Finance Marketing and Budget Report

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post

Author
News
Date
July 29, 2020

Categorized
Global Technology, Technocracy

Tagged
Arunabh Ghosh, China, India, Making It Count (book), Marxism, Probability, Random sampling, Statistics}

What Happened When 1950s China Dreamed of “Total Information”?

_{When China rejected random sampling in favor of exhaustive enumeration of individuals, masses of “data” flooded in, but what did it mean?} _{News

July 29, 2020

5

Global Technology, Technocracy}

A historian of modern China recounts the outcome of a momentous decision that China’s new Communist rulers made in the 1950s. They decided to abandon conventional methods of gathering statistics that use probability and adopted the method of exhaustive counting of everybody and everything. Why did their dream of total information became a nightmare? Harvard historian Arunabh Ghosh (right), author of Making It Count: Statistics and Statecraft in the Early People’s Republic of China (2020), explains that in the 1950s, newly communist China faced a choice about how to survey the population accurately while making “a clean break with the past.” For philosophical reasons, debates about how to gather statistics came to the fore: In a speech in 1951, Li Read More ›

3D rendering of a futuristic mech soldier with dog.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 19, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
2084 (book), China, Featured, John Lennox, Max Tegmark, Revelation 13, Robert J. Marks, Social Credit (China)}

Do Some Passages in the Book of Revelation Seem to Talk About AI?

_{Revelation is notoriously obscure but a passage about a future “total control” state gives pause for thought} _{News

July 19, 2020

5

Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Surveillance, Technocracy}

John Lennox, author of 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020), is not only an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University but also pastoral advisor to Green Templeton College at Oxford. In a podcast, “Does Revelation Talk About Artificial Intelligence?” with Robert J. Marks, director of the Walter Bradley Institute, he addresses the title question, “Do some passages in the Book of Revelation seem to talk about AI?”: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-091-John-Lennox.mp3 Selections from the transcript are provided below: (The complete downloadable transcript may be found following the Show Notes and Resources. “Can AI Replace the Need for Belief in God?” provides an account of the earlier portion of this lively discussion.) Robert J. Marks (right): Last question I want Read More ›

concept of future technology 5G network wireless systems and internet of things

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 10, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology

Tagged
___longform, China, COSM, Featured, George Gilder, Information Theory, Peter Thiel, Universities, wealth}

Valley Insider Peter Thiel’s Comments Last Year Proved Prophetic

_{China’s recent takeover of Hong Kong and the campus Cancel Culture spotlight his warnings for our culture’s future in the age of 5G} _{News

July 10, 2020

7

Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology}

Peter Thiel, who spoke by interactive video to the COSM conference last October, is probably the most remarkable of the Silicon Valley insiders. A fuller version of his discussions with tech philosopher George Gilder has just been released. What makes Thiel (think PayPal, Facebook, Palantir, Airbnb, Lyft, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX) unique is that he so much contradicts the Valley stereotype and is certainly not afraid to tell the Valley its faults. In fact, he moved down to Los Angeles in 2018, fed up with the Valley as a one-party state. He suggested in 2019 that Google be investigated for treason for refusing to work with the Pentagon but helping the Chinese military. Most of the time, though, Thiel prefers Read More ›

iron chain and castle on the silk national flag of Hong Kong with beautiful folds, the concept of a ban on tourism, political repression, crime, violation of the rights and freedoms of citizens

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
July 9, 2020

Categorized
Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, Apple (company), China, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Facebook, Featured, Google, Great Firewall, Hong Kong, Hong Kong National Security Law, Instagram, Microsoft, Telegram, Tik Tok, Twitter, WhatsApp, Zoom}

Hong Kong: Tech Companies Face Serious Ethical Decisions

_{As Hong Kong is transformed into a police state, Western companies, faced with demands for snitching on users, are rethinking cozy relationships with China} _{Heather Zeiger

July 9, 2020

7

Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy}

The semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong is no longer semi-autonomous, at least in practice. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), circumventing Hong Kong’s parliament and courts, passed the Hong Kong National Security Law on June 30 that effectively abolishes the “one country, two systems” regime outlined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The law was passed one day before the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China (July 1, 1997), in time to quash any pro-democracy candidates who would likely win in the September elections. Although the CCP justifies its moves from the Hong Kong Basic Law and claims that Hong Kong will maintain autonomy, in practice, it has already arrested dissidents and formed a secretive agency called the Office Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
July 2, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, Alipay, China, COVID-19, Health Code (China)}

China’s Health Code App: One More Way to Track Citizens

_{Heather Zeiger

July 2, 2020

7

Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy}

For the Chinese Communist Party, SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus) has provided an opportunity to expand its massive surveillance system. The current extensive network of facial recognition cameras has left some gaps. People could avoid recognition, for example, by wearing a face covering to curb the spread of a respiratory illness. Now, China is looking to fill those gaps by keeping the Alipay Health Code app, launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a mainstay for its citizens: Compared to omnipresent facial recognition software and other surveillance systems in China, the health code mechanism covers more people and collects a broader range of personal information. The state can also impose stricter control as people now have to use health codes Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 30, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Global Technology, Surveillance

Tagged
2084 (book), China, Eliezer Yudkowsky, Featured, John Lennox, Martin Rees, Mellichamp, Nick Bostrom}

Exclusive!: John Lennox Answers Our Questions About AI in 2084

_{News

June 30, 2020

5

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Global Technology, Surveillance}

In his new book, 2084, the Oxford mathematician doubts that AI, now or then, will out-think humans. Our real worry is how they will be used. Read More ›

Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) Between Trees Looks Up and to Right Winter - captive animal

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
June 18, 2020

Categorized
Global Technology, Social Media

Tagged
___longform, China, COVID-19, Diplomacy, Featured, Twitter, Wolf Warriors}

The Age of the Wolf Warrior: China’s Post-Pandemic Strategy

_{The younger diplomats take their cue from a Chinese Rambo-style movie and the rewritten history they learned at school} _{Heather Zeiger

June 18, 2020

8

Global Technology, Social Media}

While countries around the world have been dealing with the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), China has claimed disputed areas in the South China Sea, taken over the Hong Kong government, and flown planes over Taiwan. One result was a standoff between warships from the U.S., Australia, and China. A 2016 international tribunal in The Hague ruled that China has no legal sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. China, saying that the ruling was void, claims areas that are also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Japan. The Chinese Liberation Army has also increased the number of troops at its border with India (the Line of Actual Control) disputed since the Sino-Indian war in 1962 (below Read More ›

Abstract Chinese flag painted on digital sphere. Futuristic network cyberspace illustration background. View from space. Selective focus used.

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post

Author
Denise Simon
Date
June 16, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
China, Confucius Institutes, Corporate ethics, cyber theft, Double First Class Initiative, Featured, Global AI dominance, Social policy, Thousand Talents Program}

China Aims at Global AI Dominance by 2030

_{China’s systematic use of AI for social surveillance and control should cause us to think carefully about what that means} _{Denise Simon

June 16, 2020

5

Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy}

A 2017 central government document laid out the country’s plan for global dominance in AI by 2030, asking all “people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, all State Council ministries, and all directly controlled institutions” to ”please carefully implement.“ (translation) To achieve that timeline, China has employed several operations against the United States including the Confucius Institutes (fronts for Chinese propaganda according to the FBI, 2020), the Thousand Talents Program (spying and intellectual-property theft, Bloomberg, 2019) and cyber theft. While many Confucius Institutes have been exposed by key members of the Senate and many are being terminated domestically as a result, Chinese-driven cyber theft is costing the U.S. economy more than $100 billion per Read More ›

Smart technologies in your smartphone, collection and analysis of big data

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
June 1, 2020

Categorized
Data Privacy, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
Bill Gates, Birds Aren't Real, China, Conspiracy theories, COVID-19, Dwight Eisenhower, Edward Snowden, Featured, Self-censorship, Tim Cook, Uyghurs}

The Birds Aren’t Real. But Maybe the Spying Is.

_{A defense of our fundamental right to privacy} _{Gary Smith

June 1, 2020

7

Data Privacy, Surveillance, Technocracy}

Technology frees us from drudgery but also enable surveillance that enslaves us. Then, far from computers becoming more like humans, we may become more like computers.

St Francis Outpatient Center in Federal Way, Washington State

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
June 1, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Religion

Tagged
Afterlife, Alex Berezow, Atheism, China, COVID-19, Featured, Pandemic, Reign of Terror, Rodney Stark, Steven Pinker}

COVID-19: Atheism Went Viral As Well

_{Atheists are uniquely unsuited to accuse others of devaluing human life} _{Michael Egnor

June 1, 2020

6

Medicine and Health, Religion}

Professor Steven Pinker’s quickly deleted tweet provides a window into anti-religious hate. In health and medicine, he is entirely mistaken.

cybercrime, hacking and technology concept - male hacker with headphones and coding on laptop computer screen wiretapping or using computer virus program for cyber attack in dark room

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
May 20, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Global Technology, Surveillance

Tagged
China, COVID-19, Cyber espionage, Economic espionage, espionage, hacking, Industrial espionage, Intellectual Property, United Nations, United States, World Health Organization (WHO)}

The New Cyber Cold War with China

_{Cybersecurity strategist Peter Singer told Wired that there has never been a better time than the COVID-19 pandemic to be a government hacker} _{Heather Zeiger

May 20, 2020

6

Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Global Technology, Surveillance}

The United States has formally accused China of both funding and operating cells of hackers who infiltrate research labs working on responses to COVID-19.

Young woman using smart phone,Social media concept.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 1, 2020

Categorized
Data Privacy, Medicine and Health, Surveillance

Tagged
Anonymity, China, Contact tracing, COVID-19, Deanonymizing data, Google}

Is Contact Tracing a Simple Answer to COVID Lockdowns?

_{An engineering professor at the University of Austin asks us to look at the costs and benefits} _{News

May 1, 2020

5

Data Privacy, Medicine and Health, Surveillance}

The conventional science fiction fear of a superintelligent AI taking over the planet and ridding it of pesky humans distracts our attention from a much more realistic threat: Artificial intelligence (AI) makes both government and corporate surveillance much easier, cheaper, and more useful—whether it is in average citizens’ interests or not. If we are lucky, this will be the decade when we address the implications of that fact.

COVID-19 coronavirus in China, renminbi yuan money bill with face mask. COVID global stock market. World economy hit by corona virus outbreak. Financial crisis and coronavirus pandemic concept.

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
April 23, 2020

Categorized
Global Technology, Medicine and Health

Tagged
___longform, China, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Featured, Journalists, Medical doctors, Wuhan}

COVID-19: Getting to the Bottom of What Happened in China

_{China knowingly violated the terms of a World Health Organization (WHO) disclosure agreement} _{Heather Zeiger

April 23, 2020

14

Global Technology, Medicine and Health}

It is widely recognized that medical professionals and journalists in China are being silenced if they publish any information about COVID-19 that contradicts the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s official narrative. But now mainland Chinese scientists must ensure that their research publications also toe the CCP party line. If we sift carefully, however, we can uncover real information.

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
April 5, 2020

Categorized
Ethics, Global Technology, Social Media, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, China, COVID-19, Featured, Twitterbots}

The Dragon’s Deception: Conspiracy Theories and False Numbers

_{China’s global attempt to rewrite the history of coronavirus (COVID-19) is running up against incriminating evidence} _{Heather Zeiger

April 5, 2020

8

Ethics, Global Technology, Social Media, Technocracy}

The Chinese Communist Party has touted the superiority of an authoritarian government over a democratic one in handling the virus outbreak. But American intelligence sources say that it was the punishment that local officials might receive from the authoritarian system that led to the initial coverup of the outbreak.

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
March 19, 2020

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, China, COVID-19, media}

China: Rewriting the History of COVID-19

_{Making the government the improbable hero of the tale} _{Heather Zeiger

March 19, 2020

9

Ethics, Medicine and Health, Technocracy}

Chinese scientists worked together swiftly and seamlessly to sequence the virus, (completed February 25), even as the government was downplaying the extent of the problem and silencing doctors who attempted to warn colleagues and the public. The Wuhan public erupted in anger when the government demanded a show of gratitude for its efforts rather than theirs.

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
March 17, 2020

Categorized
Business and Finance, Ethics, Global Technology, Medicine and Health, Work

Tagged
Alameda County, China, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Elon Musk, Quarantine, Tesla}

COVID-19: Do Quarantine Rules Apply to Mega-Geniuses?

_{How did Elon Musk, who has a cozy relationship with China, get his upscale car factory classified as an essential business during the pandemic?} _{Jonathan Bartlett

March 17, 2020

3

Business and Finance, Ethics, Global Technology, Medicine and Health, Work}

If we are going to hold some people up as business icons, why should it be those who—in the present COVID-19 troubles—have relations with China that necessarily raise questions?

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
March 16, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Education, Surveillance, Work

Tagged
China, DingTalk, Employees, Productivity, Slack, Students}

DingTalk: Where the “Teacher” Really Is Always Watching You

_{The COVID-19 quarantine has spiked both virtual workplaces and classrooms in China, highlighting anger at the surveillance} _{Heather Zeiger

March 16, 2020

6

Artificial Intelligence, Education, Surveillance, Work}

Every human being, whether office worker or high school student, bucks against digital harnesses.

^{Type
post

Author
Analysis
Date
March 12, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance

Tagged
AI Global Surveillance Index (AIGS), China, Global Expansion of AI Surveillance (2019), Nick Bostrom, Superintelligence (book)}

The Real Threat AI Poses Is the “I” That Controls It

_{As AI becomes a part of everyday life, the science fiction glow fades; the constant high-tech surveillance intensifies} _{Analysis

March 12, 2020

10

Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance}

Pundits like Nick Bostrom and Ray Kurzweil worry that smart AI will rule us. But, as the Carnegie Index shows, conventional dictators using conventional AI for mass surveillance are a growing real-world problem while smart AI remains science fiction.

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 26, 2020

Categorized
Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
China, Karakax List, Uyghurs, Xinjiang}

China: Sophisticated Surveillance Decides Who Gets Sent to Uyghur Camps

_{The leak of documents from police in Karakax County in Xinjiang reveal the details of everyday life that can send a Uyghur to the camps} _{Heather Zeiger

February 26, 2020

8

Surveillance, Technocracy}

The tracking app used by the police aggregates all of the data of people living in Xinjiang. Based on the parameters, or “micro-clues” that police put in the app, prompts the user to collect additional details or determines whether that person should be detained. This could include “not socializing with neighbors, often avoiding using the front door,” or using more electricity than others.

^{Type
post

Author
Analysis
Date
February 12, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
Big Data, China, Deep Learning, Technology}

Technology Centralizes by Its Very Nature

_{Here are some other truths about technology, some uncomfortable ones} _{Analysis

February 12, 2020

8

Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance, Technocracy}

To see what I mean about centralization, consider a non-digital tool, say, a shovel. The shovel doesn’t keep track of your shoveling, read your biometrics, and store a file on you-as-shoveler somewhere. It’s a thing, an artifact. So you see, the new digital technology is itself the heart of the surveillance problem. No Matrix could be built with artifacts.