The surveillance state reality

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us //link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/click/20734134.76488/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9icG9saXRpY3M/582c8673566a94262a8b49bdBab51cc6a [Get the newsletter]( It’s really not a question of whether surveillance states are starting to take hold. Many civil-rights advocates say it’s already happened. The debate has been intensified by the proliferation of tracing apps during the Covid-19 pandemic and protests that followed the death of George Floyd. Lawmakers in Washington [are drafting legislation]( to curtail the use of facial recognition technology by police and government agencies after tests by the American Civil Liberties Union showed they can be wildly inaccurate, especially on people of color. The U.S. states of California, Oregon and Washington have adopted restrictions. While Microsoft and Amazon have imposed moratoriums on selling their facial recognition products to police, neither say if they cover federal agencies, [Naomi Nix]( and [Rebecca Kern]( write. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, published a letter in April warning against expanding surveillance powers amid the pandemic. And as [Ryan Gallagher]( explains, governments ranging from Cambodia to Hungary are [using the crisis]( to adopt measures that could target political opponents. China’s employing the technologies against protesters in Hong Kong. The European Union [has taken aim]( at Google and others over their handling of the vast amounts of private data they collect. President Donald Trump accuses Huawei of spying for the Chinese government, a claim it denies. Even before the virus outbreak, many countries had broad digital surveillance capabilities as U.S. National Security Agency Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed in 2013. And perhaps the most effective tool for big brother’s snooping is one of our own choice. It’s called a smartphone. — [Karl Maier]( A screen demonstrates facial-recognition technology at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in 2019. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg Tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Cities are changing fast. [Subscribe to the CityLab Daily newsletter]( for the latest news and perspectives on communities and neighborhoods around the world. Global Headlines [Business as usual]( | Trump has paid little heed to a resurgence in U.S. coronavirus cases — which yesterday hit a record level — announcing no new steps to curb the outbreak and continuing with a normal schedule of meetings and travel as hospitals fill with patients. Top administration officials say there will be no repeat of the lockdowns that collapsed the U.S. economy in March. - The Trump administration plans to release details about coronavirus relief loans for small businesses by the end of next week amid demands from Congress, [Mark Niquette]( and [Saleha Mohsin]( report. [Legislative impasse]( | The U.S. House passed a sweeping overhaul of policing rules, prompted by Floyd’s death, on a near party-line vote with little expectation it will break a partisan stalemate that’s put any Senate plans to act on hold. Trump accused Democrats of wanting to “weaken the police,” in part because the bill would make it easier for officers to be sued in brutality cases. Key Republicans said it’s likely a dead issue in the Senate. [Preparing for the worst]( | However much Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will be able to arrange a trade deal with the EU by the year’s end, firms in Britain are already bracing for the possibility he won’t. Even if negotiations do make progress in the weeks ahead — with extra sessions agreed to for July and August — companies are having to make hard choices to reduce their risks. [Changing of the guard]( | His track record has propelled him to the forefront of Singapore’s fourth-generation of leaders. As the city-state prepares for elections next month, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat is tipped to succeed Lee Hsien Loong when he steps down before he turns 70 in February 2022. It will be a significant change for the nation, which for all but 14 years has been run by Lee or his late father, Lee Kuan Yew. [Collateral damage]( | Indian and Chinese troops are still locked in a standoff on their contested Himalayan border, despite an agreement to reduce tensions after their worst military clash in 45 years. The strain is starting to show on India’s [trade ties](, with supply chains of U.S. companies based in India facing disruption as customs officials at major ports and airports halt clearances of industrial consignments coming in from China. What to Watch - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro now says he believes he’s [already had]( the coronavirus — after denying he’d had it and mingling with supporters without a facemask. - An Oxford-educated historian is [set to trounce]( a former Wall Street broker who has praised Trump’s response to the coronavirus in Iceland’s presidential election tomorrow. - Germany is preparing to [strike back]( against the U.S. if Trump follows through on his threat to target the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with additional sanctions. Pop quiz, readers (no cheating!). Which country will become on July 10 only the second Asian nation to hold a national election during the pandemic? Send your answers to balancepower@bloomberg.net. [And finally]( ... Two-and-a-half years after Zimbabweans poured into the streets to celebrate the military ouster of Robert Mugabe, the party is over. As [Antony Sguazzin](, [Ray Ndlovu]( and [Brian Latham]( explain, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed to deliver on his promised political reform and a wave of foreign investment. The economy has collapsed and the army has been deployed to violently quell protests. Such is the public disquiet that many ruling party leaders, including some with military links, are losing patience with Mnangagwa, the man known as “the crocodile.” Demonstrators sing protest songs after police cordoned off the street in 2019 as they protest over the government's management of the economy. Photographer: Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images Europe   Like Balance of Power? | [Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com](, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters.  You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022