“Skynet”, China’s massive video surveillance network

Skynet is the Chinese government’s video surveillance system, which it claims is for tracking criminals. Under the project, more than 20 million cameras have been set up in public spaces across the country.

Reading Time:2 minutes

Security cameras at the Tiananmen Square. (Picture: SCMP)

Published: 7:50pm, 4 Oct 2018Updated: 8:09am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

It’s said to be able to catch a fugitive within minutes.

The “Skynet Project”, China’s national surveillance system, has more than 20 million cameras deployed in public spaces across the country, according to state media. Dedicated to “live surveillance and recording”, there are plans to add hundreds of millions more by 2020.

State media boasts that it’s the world’s biggest surveillance network, calling it “the eyes that safeguard China” -- but it’s also led to fears about the impact of constant surveillance on the public at large, and that it might be used to target dissidents.

To be clear, the project has nothing to do with the villainous AI from The Terminator films, despite sharing the same name. Rather, it’s a literal translation of its Chinese name “Tianwang”, which is part of an idiom that means justice is always done.

Authorities claim that the system is intended to keep the public safe. State media and local governments often like to tout how well it works -- and judging from some accounts, they may not be wrong.