Brooks-Kistler 1

Chloë Brooks-Kistler

PS 306

Gould

10 February 2020

Risks of the Modern Surveillance State

In 1971, political theorist Robert Dahl created a list of nine aspects a country must have

in order to be considered a modern democracy, or as he puts it a “polyarchy” (Karl and

Schmitter, 81). Within this list, three out of the nine aspects specifically handle the right of social

agency of the civilian. Dahl states the importance of a civilian being able to express themselves

without the fear of danger, have access to multiple sources of information, and to be able to join

and create independent organizations, both political and nonpolitical (Karl and Schmitter, 81).

However, in modern times, these aspects of democracy are being threatened around the world

with the growth of technology being used as surveillance on the average citizen. An example of

technology being used as surveillance is in the state of modern day China. China is beginning to

use Artificial Intelligence and other forms of technology to spy on civilians in order to ensure the

country is, what they believe to be, a safe, efficient place to live. However, this constant

surveillance on civilians can lead to the government and those who control the AI to gain too

much power, thus having the country topple from an imbalance of power.

China has never been considered a democratic state, despite this, China has managed to

create one of the biggest booming economies of the world since the 1980’s. With the use of FDI,

or foreign direct investment, China has been able to fund their production through the money of

other countries investing into the country (Gallagher, 339). By using FDI, China stated that it

would create an economy of “reform and openness”, meaning that constant reforms would be
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implemented if needed and there would always be a sense of transparency between China and

the foriegn investors (Gallagher, 340). By this policy, there is a lot of strain created on the

average worker, and even the head of production. The head of production must ensure that their

company is working to the standards of the country they are receiving the investment from to

keep the investment going. Due to this, the average worker will constantly have to suffer being

worked nonstop to please both the head of production and the foreign investors. When the added

pressure of being constantly spied on by the government is added to this equation, the worker

will lose any form of human rights and become nothing but a worker bee for the state.

When the Internet first arrived in China in 1994, it was a tool that allowed people to seek

out uncensored news, express their opinions about the government, and even create protest

groups (Qiang, 53). As time went on though, the Chinese government would begin to use the

Internet in order to increase its control on society by increasing digital propaganda, outlawing

protest groups, and by surveilling citizen’s actions on the Internet (Qiang, 53). For example, if a

Chinese citizen was found out to be speaking against the government online, they could then face

state issued punishments, such as public attacks in the media, coercive police visitations, and in

some cases arrests (Qiang, 53). Under the Presidency of Xi Jinping, the control of the

government through digital surveillance has increased. The data collected through this digital

surveillance is then used to predict any civilian uprisings, which then can be stopped before they

even begin. Another use for the “big data” that is being collected, is the creation of a nationwide

“Social Credit System”. The “Social Credit System” will be used to observe every citizen’s both

financial and personal decisions through the work of data gathered from private companies,

public companies, and the government (Qiang, 59). A citizen’s social credit would then

determine whether or not they qualify for loans, jobs, visas, and other essential needs to live an
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average life (Qiang, 59). By using technology to spy on their civilians, China is turning into a

“digital totalitarian state” which will eventually lead to the economic fall of the country due to

the fact that the constant surveillance will make the country as a whole unstable.

As stated before, a Chinese civilian’s “social credit” can be analyzed to determine

whether or not they can be an active part of society, such as whether a civilian can receive a job

or not. Depending on who is programing the artificial intelligence, the act of what is considered a

violation of “social credit” can change greatly. There is no way to create a sense of checks and

balances through this program, due to the fact only those in control of the program determine

what is right and what is wrong in society.

This act is a clear violation of taking away a human’s right to express themselves in the

society they live in. A civilian will no longer be able to act on their own self interest, but will

instead start to become essentially a “robot”, or a “worker bee” being programmed by the state to

behave a certain way. In a way, this concept seems like it would be perfect for creating a hard

working, constantly growing economy due to the fact that every civilian is “programmed” to

only do well for the state. However, this way of life will lead to society as a whole losing their

“self-interest”. Without self-interest, over time society will begin to halt in growth. There is no

competition between people or even companies because they will be controlled by the artificial

intelligence program running the state. This mindless work will not allow for people to fight for

greater jobs or opportunities, they will stick with whatever job they are given through their social

credit score the government gives them. There is no incentive to work harder than what the

civilians are being told, because if they do, they will go against the rule of the authoritarian

government. They will then lose their job because their social credit score will go down.
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The constant surveillance China places on the civilians will also not allow for any

political or social change to happen in the country. The Chinese government is able to determine

when there will be protests from the surveillance they place on the Internet. If there is even a

suspected protest, it will automatically be crushed by the power of the government. Due to this,

there is no “social contract” between the civilians and the government. The government has full

control over the actions of civilians without allowing them to change their rule, or even question

it, because if they question it, they will be arrested, or publically humiliated through the state run

media.. Chinese civilians will be stuck under the harsh rule of the “digital totalitarian”

government. Those who also control the data which is being sold to companies can use the data

in order to favor certain companies over others. This will lead to clear nepotism and certain

companies will gain monopolies over the means of production. There is essentially no way to

combat this bias which will be found in the artificial intelligence programs around China.

Eventually, under this type of rule, China will begin to stagnate. The only change that

will be allowed will be positive changes for those who are in control of the artificial intelligence

program that is surveilling the civilians of the nation. Any change that is to be made will only be

for those in control and the foreign investors who ultimately control the bosses of Chinese

companies. The average person will not be able to grow both in their personal lives or

financially, creating a country with most of the population not having self-interest.