US may inherit Venezuela’s Chinese-built surveillance network

The United States may inherit a Venezuelan surveillance network built largely with Chinese technology, along with plans to add Chinese artificial intelligence, according to a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

TechRadar reported that Venezuela’s network expanded after Nicolás Maduro came to power in 2013. It was used to identify and monitor protesters and dissidents after the likely fixed 2024 presidential elections, including through video and drone surveillance. Numerous protest leaders disappeared, likely after being captured by authorities, the report said.

Before Maduro’s ousting, then Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez reportedly sought an agreement to adopt Chinese-built AI for state-sponsored surveillance. Rodríguez became Venezuela’s president two days after the operation, but ASPI said there had been no sign that her plans had changed.

ASPI warned that Venezuela could become one of the first countries outside China to import a new generation of LLM-based AI systems for surveillance and control. The report said such tools could strengthen an apparatus used to manage dissent, restrict information and preserve political power.

One potential technology provider is iFlytek, which the United States identified as responsible during China’s detention campaign against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The US banned sales of iFlytek products in 2019. ASPI called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to help dismantle the network and block the import of Chinese AI systems.