China’s disinformation and control efforts have a long, troubling history.
During my research, I came across a fascinating 1957 paper by Albert D. Biderman detailing the eight steps of brainwashing used by Chinese and Korean interrogators to extract false confessions from U.S. Air Force prisoners of war.
These tactics were designed to manipulate individuals’ minds and emotions, ultimately rendering them psychological and physical captives.
Over time, these eight steps were codified into Biderman’s Chart of Coercion to illustrate and explain the methods of stress manipulation employed.
As I delved into the study of brainwashing techniques, it dawned on me that they bore a striking resemblance to the very strategy being employed on a global scale during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a summary of Biderman’s Chart of Coercion, with comments beneath each step to illustrate its application:
1. Isolation: Isolated individuals are deprived of any social support.
(Lockdowns imposed during March 2020)
2. Controlling Perception: The narrative of a current problem is meticulously controlled to eliminate any information that contradicts the desired message.
(“Wear two masks to minimize spread of contagion.”)
3. Humiliation: A form of punishment that heightens feelings of incompetence.
(Shaming of nonconformists)
4. Exhaustion: Both physical and mental exhaustion are employed to quell resistance.
(“A second wave is coming.”)
Should the US do everything possible to stop China from advancing its AI technology?
5. Threats: Creating anxiety and despair through intimidation.
(Fines, blocking on social media, and other penalties for not complying)
6. Power: Imposing position over individuals to convince them that resistance is futile.
(“Follow the science.”)
7. Enforcing Trivial Demands: The imposition of trivial and contradictory demands reinforces the control of those in authority.
(Mask requirements and restaurant restrictions)
8. Granting Occasional Indulgences: Providing random rewards as a positive motivation for conforming to the demands of those in power.
(“If you comply, you will be rewarded.”)
These steps from Biderman’s Chart of Coercion reveal a chilling similarity to the methods employed during the pandemic, which should give us pause. They highlight a systematic approach to manipulate the population and erode personal freedoms under the guise of public health and safety.
It is crucial to remain vigilant and uphold the principles that form the foundation of our society. Only by doing so can we ensure that our rights and freedoms are protected and our collective well-being is preserved.
China has once again extended its policy of censorship and surveillance as it looks to keep artificial intelligence models in check, even as it races to advance the ever-expanding technology. The Chinese Communist Party has introduced more regulatory measures to ensure its home-based tech companies adhere to the party’s ideological rules.
All AI firms are required to participate in a government review that analyzes the companies’ large language models (LLMs) to ensure they “embody core socialist values,” as first reported by the Financial Times last week.
China has long worked to suppress information accessible over the internet through the use of its “Great Firewall,” — which has been used to block a litany of items perceived as bad for the CCP, such as information surrounding the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre or memes comparing Chinese President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh. This firewall is being extended to the AI arena as China rushes to advance its technologies while still governing the content it creates.
China’s Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) now requires AI companies like ByteDance, Moonshot, and 01.AI to take part in a review process that analyzes how effectively their programs are censoring the LLMs they are building. Chatbot systems are being developed to collect sensitive keywords and block information on questions relating to banned topics, often involving queries about human rights. The AI systems, in turn, spit out responses like “try a different question” or “I have not yet learned how to answer this question. I will keep studying to serve you better.”
However, to prevent the chatbots from blocking too many questions, CAC policies dictate that LLMs should only accept up to 5 percent of all questions, according to the Financial Times report.
China’s continued pursuit to control the narrative among its population speaks to a more significant threat, AI expert Arthur Herman, senior fellow and director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative with the Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital: “That is the future that China has charted for its citizens,” Herman said. “This is also how they see… being able to control the world of others.”
Herman pointed to China’s burgeoning relationship with the global south, where social media platforms like WeChat have taken off. “There will inevitably be a social control, a mind control, an element that goes into those programs… and to shape a world that looks more and more like China wants it to look.”
In an era where information is power, a comprehensive database of the genetic makeup of a large portion of the U.S. population could offer an unparalleled advantage in various scenarios, from blackmail to influence operations. April Falcon Doss, who worked at the National Security Agency and wrote Cyber Privacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care, says, “Most Americans have probably had their data compromised by the cyber intelligence units of the Chinese government and Chinese military intelligence.”
Michael Orlando, the acting director of the Counterintelligence Center, an arm of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, confirms that China and other countries are trying to dominate these technologies, using both legal and illegal means to acquire American know-how.
We must remain vigilant as we navigate this intricate web of disinformation, control, and technological advancement. Freedom, privacy, and transparency are not just American values—they are human rights that must be protected against coercion, no matter how sophisticated or subtle.
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