In Guiyang, China it is reported that, in a matter of minutes, authorities can identify and locate any subject that shows their face in public. They can trace your whereabouts  over the past week, cross reference your face to your car, match you with your relatives and people you’ve been in touch with, and identify the frequency of your meetings. This is made possible by h Facial Recognition technology used by surveillance cameras installed across China’s streets. 

Facial recognition is a form of technology that uses biometrics. It is an algorithm that creates a biometric template by detecting and measuring various characteristics, or feature points, of human faces, including the location of the eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, chin, and ears. It then compares the information with a database of known faces to find  the right match. Though facial recognition can helpful in quickly verifying personal identity, it also raises extreme concerns over personal privacy.

George Orwell's 1984 is famous for its dystopian world where everything is monitored and controlled under strictly enforced rules. Everyone in Orwell’s world is manipulated either directly or indirectly by their rulers. The story, albeit fictional, provides a view into a world ruled by mass surveillance.