Should a tech company take any responsibility for how its technology is used?
That’s a question many are pondering amid reports that Cisco is helping the Chinese government build an unprecedentedly massive surveillance system, with possibly up to 500,000 cameras in the city of Chongqing.
On one side of the debate, tech companies argue that they can never really know how their products will be used and it’s unrealistic to expect them to delve into the motivations of every customer. And surveillance camera networks are a common feature of many large cities, including New York and Chicago, where they assist police in preventing and solving crimes.
On the other hand, the scale of the project dwarfs the 10,000 cameras more typically seen in even large cities. It seems reasonable to conclude that the Chinese government is more interested in intimidating and identifying dissidents than it is in preventing purse snatchings.
What do you think?
Read more at NPR.
