Surveillance in Hong Kong is set to intensify, with tens of thousands of new cameras and AI facial-recognition software deployed in the coming years, the city’s security chief said Friday.

A web of around 4,000 closed-circuit television cameras already scans Hong Kong, part of a police crime-fighting program. And the city already uses artificial intelligence to monitor crowds and read license plates.

Under the city’s new plan, the number of cameras will balloon to 60,000 by 2028, according to documents submitted to the legislature. And AI technology “will naturally be applied to people, such as tracking a criminal suspect,” Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang told lawmakers.

The exact timing of these upgrades is unclear, and Tang said that authorities are still considering issues su

See Full Page