Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…a surveillance drone.
In addition to its already-draconian surveillance state, China is using drones that look like birds to monitor its citizens, CNET reported.
In recent years, more than 30 Chinese military and government agencies have deployed the bird-like drones. The technology is now used in at least five provinces, the report stated.
The drones feature flapping wings that mimic a real bird in flight. The technology works by “using a pair of crank-rockers driven by an electric motor,” according to
CNET.
They are also equipped with a high-definition camera, GPS antenna, flight control system, and a data link with satellite communication capability, reports state.- READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Google has plans to launch a censored version of its search engine for China that will blacklist websites and search terms regarding human rights, democracy, political opposition, academic studies, religion, and peaceful protest, according to The Intercept.
Google started creating its project, named “Dragonfly,” in spring 2017; in December 2017, the project got a boost when Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and a top Chinese government official met, internal Google documents and people familiar with the project reveal, according to The Intercept.
The Intercept continues: Teams of programmers and engineers at Google have created a custom Android app, different versions of which have been named “Maotai” and “Longfei.” The app has already been demonstrated to the Chinese government; the finalized version could be launched in the next six to nine months, pending approval from Chinese officials.
Google has not operated its search engine in China for almost ten years; between 2006 and 2010, Google had a censored version of its search engine in China. Its search engine is currently blocked by China’s “Great Firewall.” The Intercept adds that Dragonfly will comply with the country’s strict censorship laws, which ban information regarding free speech, sex, news, academic studies, historical events like the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, and books criticizing authoritarian governments, such as “1984” and “Animal Farm.” Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are censored. – READ MORE
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