Over the next few months, Shenzhen -- a southern Chinese city on the border of Hong Kong -- is going to become an experiment in the most extensive person tracking system yet devised. The first stage of the plan calls for the installation of 20,000 cameras along poles and intersections. Soon, the existing 180,000 private security cameras will be linked to these 20,000 police-owned cameras.

Shenzhen residency cards will then be distributed to the citizens of the city, and the droves of incoming, migrating new comers. The cards will carry chips with detailed information on the citizen, such as where they work and live, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status, and information of family members. Utilizing face-recognition software developed by American companies, the city-wide camera network will be able track the whereabouts of any citizen in real-time. 

"If they do not get the permanent card, they cannot live here, they cannot get government benefits, and that is a way for the government to control the population in the future," said Michael Lin, who works for China Public Security Technology, which is a company attached to the project.   

Close-circuit cameras have not been shown to reduce crime significantly in London -- so it remains to be seen what effect they will have in Shenzhen. However, the new tracking network will presumably make privacy and human rights advocate somewhat nervous.