VENEZUELA — Venezuela has taken a page from China's book by rolling out its own authoritarian surveillance tech in the form of smart cards.<br /><br />According to a Reuters report, Venezuela's new 'Fatherland' ID was inspired by China's smart cards, which allow the government to track a citizen's social, political and economic behavior.<br /><br />Venezuela initially wanted cards embedded with RFID chips, which can track location and data. Ultimately, they used QR codes developed by Chinese telecom giant ZTE to reduce costs.<br /><br />ZTE also built a database for the fatherland cards. The cards are linked to employment and income, property, medical history and political party membership.<br /><br />The Venezuelan government has previously provided incentives to cardholders to encourage adoption of the card — giving cash prizes for rallying voters, for example, or a Mother's Day bonus.<br /><br />Citizens are now being forced to get the cards in order to receive public benefits such as medicine, pension, subsidized food, and fuel.<br /><br />Describing the program as 'blackmail,' Hector Navarro, one of the founders of the Socialist Party in Venezuela, claims Venezuelans who have cards have more rights than those who don't.<br /><br />Mariela Magallanes, an opposition lawmaker in Venezuela, previously investigated unenrolled citizens being deprived of subsidized food boxes, and says the government knows who is vulnerable to pressure."
