China is always used as the primary example of a surveillance state, people constantly talk about how dystopian it is and how everything you do in public or online is tracked. I have always been skeptical about these claims and know how hypocritical they are because of the amount of surveillance that happens in the west but I want to know if China is really that bad in regards to privacy.
Based on what I have seen, the situation in China seems to be similar to the situation in many Imperial Core countries. Yes, surveillance is likely extensive, especially in urban areas, but that same condition applies to many other countries.