The Dark Side of Saudi Arabia's NEOM Mega-City Plan.
Saudi Arabia's NEOM project, a futuristic city in the desert, promises a sci-fi experience with glow-in-the-dark beaches, robot butlers, and flying taxis. However, behind the outlandish plan is a much darker reality, with Chinese tech being used to place residents under total surveillance. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been strengthening his ties with China's leader, Xi Jinping, who has agreed to provide powerful surveillance technology. NEOM's smart city capabilities could be deployed as a tool for invasive surveillance by state security services, warn digital-rights advocates.
