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Helping Other Big Brothers Go High Tech

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the keep-your-enemies-closer dept.

Dino writes "BusinessWeek has an interesting article about the export of high-tech equipment to China's security forces, and the dilemma that it creates. On the one hand, there is the desire to increase exports to a country with which there is a trade imbalance. On the other hand, we face a situation in which the technology can be used to track dissidents and unauthorized religions. Restrictions have been enacted since the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre to prevent exports intended to the Chinese security forces. However, the restrictions have been applied narrowly, and effectively prevent only low-tech exports such as handcuffs, helmets, fingerprint powder, and tear gas, while DB software, two-way radios, DNA analysis gear, and video probes, are allowed."

2 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Very Interesting Rewording by ajenteks · · Score: 5, Informative

    Maybe the implication is that America itself is a big brother? The wire-tapping crap alone that's been going on lately sure makes it seem like that could be the case.

  2. It was the Editors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I am the submitter, and I copied the article's title from BusinessWeek as is, and put it in the subject field.
    I just noticed that since you mentioned it.