China: Drones Recruited to Monitor Neglected Citizens Wearing No Masks

With talking drones Beijing chooses to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus, according to international media.

Τthe video was posted on her official account Global Times on Twitter. It is the official English-language newspaper of the People's Republic of China. In the same video, a second drone approaches a citizen who is stuck with his vehicle in the snow and advises him not to go out in such weather and in the middle of the coronavirus epidemic.

And the incidents in the video continue, with the officer making a remark to a couple, who, as he is heard telling him, saw that he was wearing masks against the coronavirus, a young man, and even a small child.

The Orwellian video leaked on Twitter, which is being played by major media outlets abroad, shows a drone approaching an elderly woman and addressing her in her dialect, scolding her for going public without a mask while the epidemic is in full swing. of the coronavirus. «You should not go around without a mask", Is heard telling the officer who is watching the images sent to him by the drone.

Walking around without a protective face mask? Well, you can't avoid these sharp-tongued drones! Many village and cities in China are using drones equipped with speakers to patrol during the #coronavirus outbreak. pic.twitter.com/ILbLmlkL9R

- Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 31, 2020

«Better to go home and do not forget to wash your hands ", continues the voice from the drone that makes the old woman hurry to leave the spot. "You see, we keep telling people to stay home, but you keep wandering outside", The voice from the drone continues.

The first impression from the video looks like a well-made and at the same time bad joke. However, in an article published on the Global Post website a few days ago, reference is made to this practice for the coronavirus.

The columnist praises the unique way he says, "treated by the government in order to manage the coronavirus pandemic", Noting that this is how reckless citizens are identified, but also the men of the Police do not come into physical contact with other people with the risk of further spread of the virus.

Drone and citizen monitoring in China for coronavirus

The Chinese newspaper also claims that the initiative of the Chinese authorities to deal with the coronavirus was enthusiastically accepted by the Chinese users of Social media (specifically the Chinese Twitter, Weibo).

However, the comments below the Global Times Twitter post were by no means so enthusiastic. Users report that this practice causes them to shudder, while others see behind the Drones an Orwellian reality taking on flesh and blood.

This does not seem to be the first time China has used the latest technology to monitor its citizens. According to her post New York Post, from 2016 until today there have been many cases of citizen surveillance, especially in western China.

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