China, Iran using AI to 'track and repress' Christians like never before, expert warns: 'Truly Orwellian'



By Leah MarieAnn Klett - Posted at The Christian Post:

Published October 11, 2024

Oppressive regimes like China and Iran are using artificial intelligence tools like facial recognition technology to “track" and "repress” Christians at a “level that wasn't available to them before,” the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has warned.

“Some of these new technologies used by countries like Iran and China, create brand new ways for the repression of religion or the control of religion around the world. So it's a very concerning development, and something that we want to keep an eye on,” Stephen Schneck, former dean and professor at The Catholic University of America, told Premier News.
“In China, facial recognition techniques allow the Chinese Communist Party to monitor those who attend religious ceremonies, and so it enables them to track them and to repress them at a level that wasn't available to them before. And similar technologies are available around the world.
“It's truly Orwellian, and it is, I fear, the shape of the world to come. So now is the time for us to begin developing mechanisms to respond to it within the faith communities around the world.”
Schneck made his comments this week ahead of the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Berlin. The annual conference, held in a different global city each year, is this year focusing on how authoritarian regimes are leveraging AI to monitor and repress religious groups, particularly Christians.

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