Among 20 Global 'Surveillance' Cities, 18 Are in China

1.15 million CCTV cameras installed in Beijing, the capital of China
IHS forecasts 567 million surveillance cameras to be installed by 2021

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] Major cities in China, notorious as CCTV havens, have ranked among the top cities in the world for the highest levels of surveillance. Among the top 20 cities, 18 are located in China.

On the 27th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) cited analysis data from the UK security company Comparitech, reporting that 18 of the 20 most heavily surveilled cities worldwide are in China, and that more than half of the surveillance cameras in use globally operate in China.

The number one city is Beijing, the capital of China. With 1.15 million surveillance cameras installed, Beijing is monitored by 60 cameras per 1,000 residents. The second place goes to Shanghai, China's economic capital, with over 1 million cameras installed.

The city with the highest per capita surveillance rate is also in China. Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, is monitored by 465,000 cameras for a population of 4 million, which equates to 110 CCTVs per 1,000 residents. Outside China, London in the United Kingdom and Hyderabad in India ranked among the top cities with heavy surveillance.

A separate report from data provider IHS Markit also reveals that China is the 'kingdom' of CCTV.

IHS found that in 2018, China installed one CCTV camera for every 4.1 people, conducting more surveillance than the United States, which installed one camera per 4.6 people. IHS projected that China would install 567 million surveillance cameras by 2021.

However, there are concerns that CCTV installations may be heavily used to monitor dissidents or ethnic minorities, and having many cameras does not necessarily lead to lower crime rates.

Professor Severin Arsen of Hong Kong Chinese University stated, "China is increasing the deployment of facial recognition surveillance cameras to enhance its monitoring capabilities, which could focus on dissidents or ethnic minorities. The government should have clear regulations and usage restriction guidelines regarding CCTV use." He added, "Installing many CCTVs does not necessarily reduce crime. While there may be a crime deterrent effect, it could also mean that crimes shift to areas without CCTV coverage rather than disappearing altogether."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.