Why we should care about China and data privacy?

I like to read a lot — ancient and recent history, politics, global policy, religion, physics, technology or finance. The pandemic gave me time to deep dive into some of my curiosities. Looking at how polarized most countries’ politics is at the moment, I began to read coverage and opinion pieces from multiple perspectives (conservative vs liberal, US vs EU vs Developed World) to piece together what I think is happening in the world and corroborate that with what the various think-tanks and intelligentsia around the world are saying. I have come to appreciate what we have today that our ancestors didn’t have, what we have that other people are not fortunate enough to have but also what problems plague our society and politics that are changing the course of where we are going. I am not talking from the American perspective alone, I am talking from the perspective of the world.

Despite social media and access to free tools, we are increasingly polarized as a society where we label and identify ourselves as liberal, capitalist, conservative, right-wing etc. We are blessed to live in this time where education is accessible and we are free to think and speak our minds. But we are increasingly afraid to speak our REAL perspectives. If I live in the south I might be scared to say something too ‘liberal’ and hurt people’s sensibilities. If I live in liberal California, I might be scared to say something others might construe as a conservative propaganda. I find that if you actually get to know people and have real conversations — there is a big spectrum between liberal and conservative perspectives. It is dumb to think there are only two types of people and judge people based on where they live or if they go to church. I think we have access to all information there is but the media and politics all over the world polarizes our views and we stop questioning, taking things on face value. We think only we are right when actually we are buying into one of the mainstream perspectives out there. I feel that people are missing the bigger picture which I have come to believe is going to impact the economy, world and our lives in ways that we can’t yet imagine. We are all smart but we all need a nudge so that we can make sense for ourselves amid the information overload we have.

I want to share what I have learnt and some ideas that might nudge you all to re-think your own perspectives so more of us eventually start caring and maybe one of us can make a difference in our little spheres of influence.

Why we all should care?

I will share a summary of my thoughts here and I will gradually dive deeper into some of these areas during the course of my future writings.

• From prehistoric times, major powers/empires who define and control the rules of economic and political engagement in their empire/region/geography also define the kind of life ordinary citizens like us live. Based on the laws they make, they control the cultural and social fabric of the region. They control what language, culture, art forms thrive and what freedoms ordinary citizens enjoy.
• Countries/empires always strive to gain more power so they have safety (from expansionist neighbors), security (access to food, resources) and influence (have a say in global economy and politics that ultimately also ensures safety and security). Since prehistoric times, there have been great empires and not-so-great ones. World has seen it all — we had empires or political systems that brought harmony where culture, arts, science, technology thrived and there were those that persecuted people, destroyed existing culture and brought suffering.
• Alexander the Great was an imperialist who wanted to rule the world. His armies seized most of Eurasia and the world was never the same again. As his empire grew, there were also some positives that he took to conquered territories — governance, economy etc. World history is testament to the fact the boundaries and power equilibrium are always evolving in the world. Different regions in the world have witnessed oppressive regimes as well as progressive regimes throughout history. In the last century, we saw the end of European colonization up to which point the British were the biggest power. Britain was the center of world’s trade, economy, technological advancement and politics. Britain did not have the best track record and their colonial ambitions caused a lot of suffering in the world. The boundaries of the world as we know it today have a lot to do with European colonization. Then the two world wars happened that led to the rise of US as the superpower since the 1940s. US has also created problems in the world, started wars and conflicts. For the last couple of decades, US and its allies are at the center of world’s trade, economy, technological advancement and politics. Superior technology, defense and soft power are a direct result of a strong economy.
• As China begins to dominate the world’s trade and economy (they say it will overtake US very soon), US influence in trade, economy and soft power will gradually reduce. It is not just a matter of two powers fighting for superpower status, there is a lot at stake for all of us and the freedoms we enjoy. We take for granted the freedoms we enjoy. No system is perfect but it is about choosing the lesser evil because most people across the world do not understand what’s coming. China’s rise is imminent. I don’t speak of an average Chinese here but speak of the system China represents. Chinese friends will share privately what life is like there and what freedoms they enjoy here and why even the elite want to move out for the right opportunity. They have a surveillance state. People want privacy but the state wants more and more data on them so they can rule with absolute control.
• There is a big upheaval right now in the world as the world’s systems are clashing with one trying to fight the evolving system and the evolving system trying to establish it’s dominance. The upheaval I think is reflected if you follow what’s been happening worldwide — election interference, diplomatic exchanges, leaders’ speeches, trade issues, financial system and currency shake-up, regional political and military turmoil, countries aligning or picking sides, increasing military exercises etc. One can see that the Chinese influence has been increasing in world bodies like UN, WHO, WTO where they are playing a bigger role.
• Capitalist and communist are two economic systems. China’s system is not really communist. It is rather capitalist since the 1980s. The difference is democracy vs authoritarian control. China’s government has absolute control over what people are allowed or not allowed to do and they are increasingly using technology, big data and AI to achieve those ends. In China, the government controls what industries and technologies should thrive. Here people at least expect privacy and it is hotly debated but in China, people silently and helplessly accept the lack of freedom and privacy. More data the government has about you, the more helpless you are against the government. There is fear and no self-expression even if you know the system is failing ordinary citizens. Getting millions of people out of poverty has certainly been a big achievement for China but as the country starts playing a major role, this will begin to impact world politics and how business is done. Gradually, the world institutions, economic rules, corporate structure and governance, media and entertainment — everything begins to get influenced by the new system. The old generation may remember the ‘good old day’s but the new generation— they will be born in a world oblivious to what it was like back in the day. There will be more advanced technology and AI but in the wrong hands and with the wrong motivation, it can be disastrous for the people of the world. As the authoritarian system spreads it’s tentacles in the world, it gets bigger and stronger using advanced technology and data to establish dominance.
• Governments that keep public interest in mind as they make policies allow freedoms but those that force unpopular ideas down people’s throats so they can stay in power are always in fear of losing control so they device new ways of keeping absolute control. When a government functions like that, country will become rich, economy will grow but it will increase unhappiness and people will become robots who are afraid to do or think anything outside of what the government ‘allows’. Control and privacy don’t go together.
• I think of countries/regimes as companies. A booming company may have a ruthless CEO and board (government) while having unethical practices and treating their employees (people) badly. People desire a system with strong economic fundamentals where we enjoy freedom and can expect fairness. While the current system has it’s follies and could use reforms in many areas, it offers some semblance of fairness where people at least can speak up and fight for what’s not right. Now imagine a future where even smart people would be afraid to voice an opinion or disagreement against the ‘system’. We value a merit-based system where we have room to share our ideas but take it for granted. Hope it’s not too late by the time we realize.
• I think it’s important that we realize what’s happening, have opinions and start asking the right questions instead of focusing on things that divide us. What will unite us is the common thread of what our ideals stand for against an advancing oppressive system. While our system is not perfect, it is extremely important that this system succeeds (and evolves) and takes on what’s coming. We should want prosperity for people of all countries but we want to save the world from an authoritarian system taking over the world.
• Our biggest power is that we can think freely and express our views freely. It is the relative transparency and fairness due to which people of the world would prefer to do business with us and not an authoritarian system. Authoritarian regimes try to make friends with other authoritarian regimes or convert other weaker countries into authoritarian governments so they can use the same model to rule the world. But, people living under those regimes would always aspire the freedom that we enjoy. That is what we offer to the world. That is what helped us innovate. That is what can save us from a grim future.
• Our governments, media and institutions may or may not see it to the same degree or have a plan that could lead us to a better world but we all should start thinking of the bigger picture and not take what we have for granted. Don’t let anyone divide us right now. This is not the time for that. This is not against any people, it is against a system of government we don’t want to be prevalent in the world. We need the conservatives, the liberals, the religious, the satanists, the heterosexual, the homosexual, caucasians, hispanics, africans and the asians — united in our common ideas about freedom and the world we want for our future generations. Our differences exist because we have freedom to be what we believe in. If we didn’t have freedom, there would be nothing worth fighting for.
• It is not about capitalism vs communism. It is about saving our free-thinking society from an oppressive system. The capitalist system also needs to evolve with the evolving needs so we can stay relevant and continue to play a big role in shaping the world’s future that is sustainable and thoughtful.

So what can we do?

Every now and then the world goes through a change like this where there is a clash of major powers. But what is different about this time is that the stakes are too high in a highly connected and globalized world with advanced technology, data and AI. Data is going to define power in the future. If governments are able to control and harness this data against us, it will mark the end of democracy and freedom as we know it.

Let’s be respectful of our differences and strengthen what is our biggest offering to the world — our freedom to think. People are the most important but often forgotten thread in any political system. We are as powerful as the realization of our strength.

I will share some humble thoughts in my next blog on what we could do differently to stay relevant and resonate with the world on our collective future.