Starting this month in a port neighborhood and then spreading across Shenzhen, a city of 12.4 million people, residency cards fitted with powerful computer chips programmed by the same company will be issued to most citizens.
Data on the chip will include not just the citizen’s name and address but also work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status and landlord’s phone number. Even personal reproductive history will be included, for enforcement of China’s controversial “one child” policy. Plans are being studied to add credit histories, subway travel payments and small purchases charged to the card.
“If they do not get the permanent card, they cannot live here, they cannot get government benefits, and that is a way for the government to control the population in the future,” said Michael Lin, the vice president for investor relations at China Public Security Technology, the company providing the technology.
You can read more here.
Some questions:
-Do the benefits outweigh the security issues?
-Could something like this ever be imposed in a democratic nation?
-Would you carry one of these cards if the government made it a law?
-What if you were a Christian who is to submit themselves to every authority under God because He set up those authorities?
-What are your thoughts on the "one child" policy?
-How do you feel about the technology being funded from right here in the USA?
-Does it concern you that the government is looking for ways to control the population?
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