The Social Credit System and Technological Surveillance in China
What are the consequences of China’s rapid growth in technology? Western news media are full of panic stories about Huawei, the social credit system, surveillance, artificial intelligence and big data, that China is supposed to use to build an Orwellian control society.
In this session, Rogier Creemers takes you beyond the panic and into the real story of China’s rapid technological rise. He uncovers what drives China’s technology agenda, how it fits into the country’s broader ambitions, and why it has sparked so much debate in the West.
You’ll explore the systems that fuel both fascination and fear, from surveillance tools to the social credit narrative, and examine whether they function the way Western media often claim. Rogier also sheds light on the motivations behind China’s tech strategy. He looks at what this means for Europe. How should we respond? Where are the risks—and where might we be overreacting? What opportunities lie in understanding China rather than fearing it?
Rogier Creemers is a Lecturer in Modern Chinese Studies. With a background in Sinology and International Relations, and a PhD in Law, his research focuses on Chinese domestic digital technology policy, as well as China's growing importance in global digital affairs. He is the principal investigator of the NWO Vidi Project "The Smart State: Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and the Law in China". For the Leiden Asia Centre, he directs a project on China and global cybersecurity. He is also a co-founder of DigiChina, a joint initiative with Stanford University and New America.
3th of February at the Yellow House in Amsterdam
19:00 Doors open
20:00 – 21:30 Rogíer on the Social Credit System and Technological Surveillance in China
21:30 – Late Cocktails & conversation
The Yellow House