Grimme Prize 2025: TOTAL TRUST on China's dark surveillance technology!

Grimme Prize 2025: TOTAL TRUST on China's dark surveillance technology!

The jury decisions for the 61st Grimme Prize were announced on March 6, 2025. Among the nominated productions, the ZDF/ARTE co-production “TOTAL TRUST – What China doesn’t show the world” stands out, which won a prize in the Information & Culture competition. The celebratory award ceremony will take place on April 4th in the Marler Theater. This internationally award-winning documentary by Jialing Zhang highlights the dark side of surveillance in China and shows how modern technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence, are used for (self-)censorship and abuse of power ots.at reported.

“Total Trust” examines the fates of people in China who suffer under the regime. The jury emphasized how vividly Zhang portrays the mechanisms of the surveillance state, which constantly controls and punishes its citizens. A young journalist and her family, who are fighting for their values ​​and opinions, are particularly affected. The film is now available in the ARTE library and alarmingly shows the dangers of current technology as the global market for surveillance technologies grows rapidly and is estimated to be worth over $230 billion by 2027 total-trust.org.

Surveillance technologies in focus

The discussion about the use of surveillance technologies is not limited to China. Similar technologies are being promoted in Europe, particularly in France and Germany. In France, the government plans to introduce AI-powered video surveillance during the 2024 Olympics. In Germany, the use of "crime prediction" software, which uses big data to create suspect profiles, is facing resistance from privacy advocates who fear innocent people could be subject to unjustified surveillance. These critical looks at European surveillance policy are just as alarming as the abuses in countries outside the EU, where companies like Finfisher have made the headlines by selling surveillance technologies without authorization.

In addition, there is a scandal in the Netherlands about discriminatory AI tools that have particularly targeted migrants. These incidents call for the EU AI law to protect human rights. There are also moves in the UK to impose stricter controls on gatherings, raising concerns about individual freedoms. Global developments show that the protection of privacy and human rights continue to be at risk.