>>el_dud+(OP)
>"China is using technology for the perfection of dictatorship." -Pete Buttigieg, 2020 US presidential candidate
PRC may be blazing the trail, but as the tech becomes proved and available, I won't be surprised to see creeping adoption in more "free" countries (especially following crises).
>>mLuby+wg
In China, surveillance is nationalized. In the US, it's nationalized (NSA) and privatized (Facebook). The tech already exists and people are using it willingly.