Beams of light invisible to the human eye scan your face as you unlock a smartphone, pass a security camera, or drive after dark. This is the pervasive reality of infrared technology, a cornerstone of modern surveillance systems that identify individuals and vehicles globally.
The Rise of Surveillance Technology
Over the last ten years, facial recognition has evolved from a concept in science fiction to an everyday tool. Nowhere is this more evident than in China, which possesses more security cameras than the rest of the world combined. At transport hubs, passengers submit to face scans at gates. On public streets, cameras monitor pedestrians and automatically flag traffic violations.
Chinese regulations mandate that anyone registering a new SIM card must undergo a facial scan, with images stored in telecom databases. Until recently, the authorities also required most hotel guests to scan their faces at check-in. For many citizens, this technology offers convenience and a sense of security, seamlessly integrated into daily life. For others, it represents an intrusive mechanism of state oversight.
The American Connection and Global Implications
Investigations by The Associated Press have revealed a significant finding: a large portion of China's surveillance infrastructure was designed and built by American companies. This involvement has played a greater role in facilitating human rights abuses than was previously understood, cementing the ruling Communist Party's control by monitoring perceived threats, including dissidents, ethnic minorities, and officials.
Dozens of individuals, ranging from Tibetan activists and ordinary farmers to a former vice mayor, described to AP how extensive camera networks track their movements, restrict their freedom, and alert police to their activities.
While such technology faced legal hurdles in its country of origin, the United States, its use has expanded domestically. Over the past five years, the U.S. Border Patrol has significantly widened its surveillance powers. AP found it monitors millions of American drivers nationwide through a secretive programme aimed at detaining people with travel patterns deemed suspicious.
Under the Trump administration, billions of dollars are being funnelled into vast surveillance systems. This includes networks of license plate readers across the U.S. that have ensnared innocent drivers merely for travelling near border areas.
Seeing the Invisible: The AP's Photographic Technique
To visualise this hidden world, AP photographers on three continents employed a special technique. They used cameras modified to capture the full light spectrum—ultraviolet, visible, and infrared. By applying a red filter that blocks certain visible light wavelengths, they could photograph the infrared beams that are otherwise invisible.
This unique photo essay, curated by AP photo editors, documents how these infrared beams are utilised to track people and vehicles, enable facial recognition, and ultimately, exert a form of digital control. The images provide a stark visual testament to the technology woven into the fabric of modern society.
