China using ID cards to track people

C/net reports:

Starting this month in a port neighborhood and then spreading across Shenzhen, a city of 12.4 million people, residency cards fitted with powerful computer chips programmed by the same company will be issued to most citizens.

Data on the chip will include not just the citizen's name and address but also work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status and landlord's phone number. Even personal reproductive history will be included, for enforcement of China's controversial "one child" policy. Plans are being studied to add credit histories, subway travel payments and small purchases charged to the card.

Evidently all large cities in PRC will be moving forward with similar people-tracking. A permanent ID card will be required for residency, for government benefits. Shenzen the pilot city is near Hong Kong. Evidently, the policy is becoming more acceptable to the Chinese populace as their fears of terrorism are rising. MMM-HM, sounds like the way our own government has manipulated the public through fear to accept all sorts of government intrusiveness. The story, linked in the title to this post, also discusses the use of security cameras, in China, but also mentions those in NYC and London.

I have never had much sympathy for the die-hard advocates of the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. But I feel myself drifting further into the government-mistrusting, wacko fringe with every news story!