The Ethics of AI Surveillance in Authoritarian Regimes

Khoshnaw Rahmani, JadeTimes Staff

K. Rahmani is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Politics.

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Image Source: Thomas Peter

The most powerful weapon of the 21st century doesn’t fire bullets or detonate on impact—it watches. Silent, invisible, all-knowing, AI surveillance has become the ultimate tool of control, used by authoritarian regimes to predict, prevent, and suppress behavior long before laws are even broken.

You don’t have to be a criminal. You don’t even have to step out of line. The mere suggestion that you might is enough. A flagged social media post, a suspicious facial scan, a movement pattern that doesn’t quite fit—suddenly, you’re under scrutiny.

This is the reality of AI-driven surveillance, where machines don’t just track actions, they shape destinies. But where do we draw the line between security and subjugation? If freedom can be restricted by algorithms, does it still exist?

The Anatomy of AI Surveillance

Surveillance used to require human oversight—agents tailing suspects, analyzing footage, sorting through records manually. Now, AI does it all in real time, at scale, with terrifying efficiency. Here’s how authoritarian regimes leverage it:

1. Facial Recognition & Biometric Tracking

AI-powered facial recognition is the cornerstone of modern surveillance. Cameras embedded in traffic lights, shopping malls, airports, even street lamps scan faces and match them against vast government databases.

In China, the government uses automated facial recognition to track ethnic minorities, political dissidents, and suspected criminals. A simple walk down the street could be enough to trigger an alert, leading to further investigation—or worse.

2. Predictive Policing & Social Media Monitoring

You don’t need to commit a crime—you just need to fit the profile. Predictive policing systems analyze financial transactions, internet searches, GPS movement, and communication records to forecast potential unrest.

In Russia, AI scans social media for “subversive” conversations, flagging individuals before protests even happen. In Iran, digital surveillance tracks messaging apps, identifying activists before they take action.

3. Mass Data Collection & AI-Driven Censorship

Information is power, and AI gathers it all—from bank transfers to online purchases, web histories to personal phone calls. In some countries, governments rank citizens based on their digital behavior, punishing those who interact with banned content or engage in suspect activities.

The Ethical Abyss

While governments justify AI surveillance as a national security measure, the implications go far deeper:

1. Privacy? Gone.

The concept of privacy is vanishing. With AI analyzing every movement, every purchase, every word, even the most mundane actions can be interpreted as dangerous or disloyal.

2. Thought Crime Becomes Reality

Authoritarian regimes don’t need proof of wrongdoing—only indicators of risk. The system predicts who might resist, protest, or criticize, before they actually do.

3. Who Controls the Algorithm?

AI is not neutral—it reflects the biases of those who program it. If the system is designed to target dissidents, it will do so without questioning its orders. There is no appeals process, no negotiation—just data deciding fate.

Global Backlash & Digital Resistance

As AI surveillance escalates, international watchdogs and activists fight back:

1. UN Calls for AI Ethics & Regulation

The United Nations has proposed guidelines to restrict AI surveillance, calling for transparency and ethical oversight.

2. Western Sanctions on AI Surveillance Tech

The EU and U.S. have banned the export of AI surveillance software to authoritarian states, hoping to slow their technological grip.

3. Digital Defiance: Citizens vs. AI

From VPNs to encrypted messaging apps, individuals use digital shields to reclaim privacy. Yet, for many, hiding online is not enough—resistance comes at an unimaginable cost.

AI surveillance isn’t coming—it has already arrived. It doesn’t knock on doors or break into homes. It doesn’t need to. It operates silently, watching, assessing, and deciding. In authoritarian regimes, it doesn’t just track actions; it preemptively eliminates the possibility of rebellion.

The difference between freedom and control is no longer measured in protests or revolutions—it’s measured in data points, behavioral patterns, and algorithmic predictions. The machines don’t ask questions. They just flag, categorize, restrict. And in this new reality, the most dangerous crime isn’t what you’ve done—it’s what AI suspects you might do next.

So, who controls the algorithm? Who watches the watchers? The unsettling truth is that, in these systems, no one needs to watch anymore—the machines already know.