It's heartening to learn that writers with some influence are concerned with the theory that China is compiling information on Americans. Samantha Ravich is one such writer. She has an impressive resume and recently wrote Artificial Intelligence and the Adversary. Here's an excerpt:
... Beijing already hoards vast quantities of data about its own 1.4 billion people, none of whom have privacy rights under the Communist regime.
Nevertheless, Beijing isn’t satisfied. It has turned its sights on the U.S. and has already exfiltrated some of the most sensitive information on the American people and military. These include repeated breaches since 2013 of medical systems and databases, and the decadelong targeting of the U.S. Navy’s ship-maintenance records and the names and personal details of 100,000 of its personnel.
In time, through artificial intelligence, China will be able to use Americans’ data against us. Personalized medical records could become personalized bioweapons, for instance.
This next passage is both terrifying and mystifying:
Personalized medical records could become personalized bioweapons, for instance. In 2017 Zhang Shibo, a retired Chinese general, wrote that biotech could provide China an offensive capability through the creation of “specific ethnic genetic attacks.” As for the stolen Navy data, understanding how the U.S. maintains its fleets will help China point out vulnerabilities in U.S. weapons systems and ship design to be exploited during a confrontation.
“Specific ethnic genetic attacks.” Understanding what each of those words means doesn't help to understand the phrase. Perhaps it means an involuntary assault on a person's DNA based on race. In any event, it's certainly sounds scary.
And it drives home the point that while China might be a trading partner, it is certainly not a friend.
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2:51 PM 12/9/2019
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