Waking up in a virtual jail with no recollection of how you got there:
"China's growing surveillance state has made the news again. The NYT described a
"God's-eye" -- perhaps better described as a State's-eye -- view of Chinese society as
seen from the millions of networked devices that are blanketing the country."
"The combination of ubiquitous sensors and database fusion has allowed the
Communist party to create "virtual cages" for millions of people. It's easy with Internet
Of Things technology to turn off an individual's credit card, phone, car, refrigerator etc
should he stray into a proscribed zone.
The Times notes the nightmare "it is also a vision that some of President Trump’s aides
have begun citing in a push for tougher action against Chinese companies in the
intensifying trade war. Beyond concerns about market barriers, theft and national
security, they argue that China is using technology to strengthen authoritarianism at
home and abroad — and that the United States must stop it."
Suddenly a war over the future of the Internet has broken out. It is perhaps the first
major conflict over a nonphysical system in the history of the world and it has come to
the front rank virtually by surprise after decades of the public being told tomorrow
would be a world without borders."
"The virtual high ground of this new war is the architecture of 5G: "digital cellular
networks, in which the service area covered by providers is divided into a mosaic of
small geographical areas called cells," with up to a million devices per square kilometer.
This creates an ecosystem teeming with electronic life, the Internet of Things where
"everything from toasters to dog collars to dialysis pumps to running shoes will be
connected. Remote robotic surgery will be routine, the military will develop hypersonic
weapons, and autonomous vehicles will cruise safely along smart highways."
It would also be the scaffolding of China's virtual cage. Whoever controls 5G will be able
to surveil and control the planet. Those in charge of the network could be omniscient
and potentially omnipotent over unprotected man made systems. To guard against
China ruling this kingdom the Trump administration has banned US companies, most
notably Google, from selling technology to Chinese giant Huawei.
The urgency of the challenge was underscored by The Hill's comparison of the situation
to Apollo. "We are in another innovation race right now. The race to 5G [is] a contest
that could have more far-reaching effects than the race to the moon. The Trump
administration deserves credit for articulating a policy that aims to see America win the
race to 5G." Steve Bannon had an even more extreme formulation. “It is a massive
national security issue to the West. The executive order is 10 times more important
than walking away from the trade deal. It [Huawei] is a major national security threat,
not just to the US but to the rest of the world. We are going to shut it down.”
While stopping China might prevent the worst it will not end the threat. 5G is like
Sauron's ring. As long as it exists someone -- the EU, Washington, Big Silicon or
Western industry -- will wear it. The result may not be Beijing's "virtual cage" but it will
potentially be an electronic jail nonetheless. Who can resist wielding such power?"
See:
https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez...you-got-there/