The Chinese province of Henan has recently installed a social facility that monitors every activity being conducted inside the churches.
Since last year China made it mandatory for every citizen to do a registration of their religious beliefs. On a regular basis, comprehensive investigations into religious belief are being carried out in government institutions, the military, state-run enterprises, schools, and hospitals.
The Work Plan for Verification of the Religious Masses, issued by a city in Henan Province of Central China, confirms that data on religious people are being collected and compiled onto the information platform.
Here is how China is analyzing this data
- People who have associated themselves with some religion but do not participate in religious activities for more than a year are put into “database of persons to be screened” category for further surveillance.
- “database of persons to be screened,” are those who have not attended any public worship activity after demolishing the previous worship facilities. Such people are monitored for any underground activities.
- Data of those who regularly worship is held a secret for security reasons.
A house Church leader told China Daily
“As the CCP continues to suppress religion, many believers have gone underground. Some Three-Self preachers are also making such plans. But as soon as people stop attending Three-Self Church and break free from government control, they are put under constant investigation and questioning, officials visiting at any time. Unless you stop believing, you will be restricted and remain controlled by the government. This is a very terrible thing.”
China is converting people into data and China Communist Party is ensuring strict control over its citizens in the name of national security. Willing to be a global trade leader, China is penetrating into democratic markets with the strict socialist regime at home. Analysts can only wonder how the situation might unfold in the future.
