China’s Surveillance State Has Killed Privacy

The Chinese Communist Party’s system of mass surveillance is like something out of a dystopian sci-fi novel, destroying any semblance of privacy in the country for both individuals and businesses.

In a recent international incident, popular job networking site LinkedIn shut down operations in China after the strain of working with the authoritarian government became too much. According to Riley Walters, LinkedIn was being forced to share data with the Chinese Communist Party. Amid privacy concerns, the company left the country.

Walters, deputy director of the Hudson Institute Japan Chair, warns that the surveillance state can have real consequences for both Chinese citizens and the international community.

"If you happen to be one of the few people left in the United States who has a Huawei phone, or if you live in Europe and you have some Chinese telecommunications device, is that information being transported back to China? If it's out in China, you're out of luck. It's there," he says.

Walters joins the show to discuss the implications of China’s surveillance state on Chinese domestic life, as well as the world at large.

We also cover these stories:

• Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the ongoing fallout surrounding his Justice Department memo asking the FBI to address alleged violence and harassment aimed at local school officials.
• Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., says he does not like the idea of a billionaire tax.
• Consumers’ Research launches a new ad campaign targeting investment management company BlackRock’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

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