No, we shouldn’t report partying neighbors to the pandemic police
The pandemic has prompted European citizens to accept changes in social behavior that would have seemed impossible only a year ago. People have stopped shaking hands, started wearing masks and learned to talk at some distance. They have adhered to government rules keeping them ...
Japan's police introduce facial recognition system in criminal probes
About 10 million facial images are currently stored in the agency's database, including those of suspects referred to prosecutors who have not been arrested.
Japan is caught in the crossfire of a U.S.-China culture war
"China is trying to hijack the networks and communications infrastructure of other countries," a data analyst warns.
Brave new words hint at a less democratic future
As China tightens its grip on Hong Kong, its vocabulary of hurt national feelings and threat is turning up in the territory.
China unveils global data security initiative, citing 'bullying' by some nations
China announced an initiative on Tuesday to establish global standards on data security, saying it wanted to promote multilateralism in the area at a time when "individual countries" were "bullying" others and "hunting" companies. The announcement, by State Councillor Wang Yi, comes a month after ...
Japan Supreme Court rules GPS tracking of cars is not spying
The decision rested on the fact that the data collected was not from the targets' homes or surroundings.
China’s Great Firewall looms over Hong Kong as surveillance grows
Residents and activists worry that proposed national security legislation will further encroach on civil liberties in the former British colony.
Japan's LDP wants mandatory GPS monitoring of convicted sex offenders
The proposals also seek to improve support for the victims of sex crimes and measures to prevent reoffending.
Japan's smart cities: Technological dreams or 'Big Brother' nightmares?
Late last month, the Diet passed a revised bill paving the way for so-called “super cities” or “smart cities.” Supporters tout them as high-tech marvels where artificial intelligence and big data are to be used to provide more efficient and cost-effective solutions to social ...
Surveillance and monitoring invade European post-pandemic workplaces
A "Romware Covid Radius bracelet” beeps every time a Tata Steel Ltd. worker in the U.K. or a docker at Belgium’s Antwerp port is within virus-catching distance of someone. At Bouygues SA construction sites and in Sanofi and Schneider Electric SE offices in France ...
Green or red light: China coronavirus app is ticket to everywhere
To enter many offices, restaurants, parks or malls in China nowadays, people must show their status on an app that determines whether they are a coronavirus threat. There is often a moment of tension before opening the app on arriving at a location. A green light ...
Robots delivering meals, ghostly figures in hazmat suits and cameras pointed at front doors: China's methods to enforce coronavirus quarantines have looked like a sci-fi dystopia for legions of people. Authorities have taken drastic steps to ensure that people do not break isolation rules after ...
