Amid a decline in democratic standards, the Serbian government uses large-scale installation of surveillance systems with facial recognition technology to monitor opponents, activists and journalists (balkaninsight.com)

submitted 2 days ago by 0x815@feddit.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

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cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/375357

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/373442

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Here is the report (pdf).

Serbian authorities have adopted invasive surveillance practices and facial recognition technology to monitor political opponents, civic activists and critical journalists, says a BIRN report entitled ‘Digital Surveillance in Serbia – A Threat to Human Rights?’, published on Friday.

Equipment from Chinese manufacturers, such as Dahua and Hickvision, predominates.

Serbia’s aspirations for EU membership mean that it faces pressure to adhere to EU standards on data protection and privacy as well as cybersecurity. However, Serbia has simultaneously strengthened ties with authoritarian countries, especially China and Russia.

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[-] onlinepersona@programming.dev 15 points 2 days ago

The West was laughing and pointing at China. "Look at them surveilling their citizens! So cringe." Meanwhile, people massively bought into surveillance capitalism, gobbled up all the bullshit about "if you have nothing to hide", and look where it's taking us. Yet people continue to buy Google products, swear that Malus won't ever be evil and store their lives on iPhones and Macs, they vote for right-wing candidates who talk about building walls, surveilling the poor, foreign, and different, and don't somehow fail to see how their countries are slowly becoming more China-like.

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[-] DarkThoughts@fedia.io 11 points 2 days ago

Calling Serbia "the West" is kinda stupid considering they're friends with "the East" and fail to adhere to any sort of EU law. And shit like this is precisely why Serbia will never join the EU, as this type of practice has been basically outlawed a while ago.

[-] onlinepersona@programming.dev 4 points 2 days ago

Mate, "the West" isn't limited to Western Europe, the USA, Canada, and Australia. Australia is the same longitude as China. Are you going to say it's not the West because of that?

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[-] DarkThoughts@fedia.io 6 points 2 days ago

No, I'm not. And me pointing out Serbia's allegiance should've been clue enough to understand that. The West is a collective of a shared understanding of values, values that Serbia does not share. So please stop being willfully obtuse.

[-] onlinepersona@programming.dev 1 points 2 days ago

You believing Serbia is part of "the East" is hilarious. They're the S in BRICS, right? 😂

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[-] DarkThoughts@fedia.io 5 points 2 days ago

You're continuing to make a fool out of yourself dude. BRICS and "the East" are not synonymous. But yes, there are also potential talks about Serbia joining BRICS.

[-] trevron@beehaw.org 4 points 2 days ago

True. But at least China is lifting the poor out of poverty. Definitely can't say the same for the states.

[-] Daxter101@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 2 days ago

Even to the (insufficient, overblown) extent that it happens, lifting "the poor" Han Chinese out of poverty by putting other populations (Uighurs) under slave labour instead, is not the moral win you're implying.

If an ethnic cleansing is part of the requirements, to stop committing humanitarian atrocities towards "the poor", that's still an atrocity.

Disclaimer, the USA, just like every authoritarian state, is also disgusting and criminal.

[-] trevron@beehaw.org 2 points 2 days ago

I won't get into that in order to avoid tankie accusations and I certainly don't want to deny anything as fucked up and serious as a potential genocide but just be sure you double check your sources. CIA runs deep.

[-] 0x815@feddit.org 8 points 2 days ago

@trevron, what is a good source of information regarding China?

[-] trevron@beehaw.org 3 points 2 days ago

Probably none of the articles I see you posting 😂

Considering your typical posts, I wouldn't expect this to be taken seriously so here is general advice for anyone else:

Avoid anything from Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and any other CIA founded organizations (very difficult because there are so many). Avoid any place that gets grants from the National Endowment for Democracy (a CIA cutout). Be skeptical about pretty much any media org that is sponsored directly by the US government. The US loves manufacturing consent, it is one of the CIAs primary functions. Same goes for DIA, FBI, etc.

TLDR: Don't read Fed shit if you want to know about other parts of the world lol