The weird smart city concept and the total surveillance fetishism that comes with it is a product of post-9/11 surveillance, but it's also something that the CCP really nailed in its implementation. The Ring surveillance partnership with law enforcement mirrors what's already been rolled out successfully elsewhere in places like China, while the US is quickly catching up.

Comparing to a country whose practices in this regard are broadly considered authoritarian makes a lot of sense here. It is quite descriptive. IMO no less descriptive than post-9/11 surveillance