Milipol Security Fair Sees Huge Influx of Chinese Firms
The Milipol security fair hosted this year in Paris is a chance for over 1,100 companies to display their tech advancements in surveillance systems and security advancements. The current Milipol market has a large volume of Chinese tech firms showing off the latest in facial recognition technology for security purposes. From the looks of things, these Chinese tech manufacturers are looking at expanding throughout the world, with this fair being the first step in showing off what they can do.
Heavy Police Surveillance on the Mainland
The Chinese government has been undertaking surveillance of its citizens for quite some time, with many of these tech firms supplying governmental agencies on the mainland. China has already deployed over 170 million cameras throughout the country, and some experts estimate that there may be as much as 2.76 billion cameras around the country by 2022. That works out to two cameras per person within the state.
Involvement in Public Tech Fair is a Concern
Chinese companies’ participation in the Milipol fair (among other technology fairs) has raised some eyebrows in the past. In 2017, a Chinese company was forced to close down its demonstration stall. Amnesty International filed a complaint with the organizers for the company displaying a set of handcuffs that would deliver electric shocks to the incarcerated individual. The human rights group stated that they constituted torture devices and would not be tolerated in most EU member states.
US Trade Bans on Some Companies as Well
The now-infamous US-China trade war has seen several companies that have booths in Milipol banned from holding contacts within the US. Facial recognition technology is among the significant advancements these companies display. However, China’s advancements in 5G computing and IoT tech are also of note. The problem remains that the Chinese government can utilize many of these technological advancements for their own gain. With the EU’s improved stance on personal privacy, Chinese firms may find that they have a hard time selling equipment to EU member nations, especially since China’s track-record with personal privacy is abysmally bad.
