China police deploy high-tech tools to crush protests

Police officers detain people during a protest against Covid-19 curbs at the site of a candlelight vigil for victims of the Urumqi fire, in Shanghai on Nov 27, 2022. - Reuters

BEIJING (AFP): Chinese police have deployed sophisticated surveillance tools in a push to stamp out a nationwide wave of unrest, using facial recognition software and location data to track down and detain protesters.

Frustration over prolonged Covid restrictions has boiled over, triggering protests demanding an end to lockdowns and greater political freedoms at a scale unseen in decades.