China's tech surveillance applications in Europe and Latin America : analysing the impact on democratic governance

Abstract

This policy brief explores the extensive deployment of Chinese AI and machine learning technologies across Europe and Latin America in social surveillance. Over the past decade, these technologies have become deeply integrated into the security frameworks of numerous nations, enhancing capabilities in image classification, facial recognition, video analysis, and voice identification. As one of the world's leading providers, China's big tech companies equip governments with sophisticated tools that facilitate unprecedented monitoring and data collection. The analysis presents contrasting contexts of the application of surveillance structures, taking two cases from Europe and another two cases from Latin American countries to highlight the spread and the use of these types of technologies in different geographical scenarios. In the report's final section, we summarise some challenges posed by China's surveillance technologies and elaborate on some recommendations for policymakers, civil society organisations, government officials, and researchers to study and address the negative impacts of these structures on democratic governance.