Are we transitioning into a Surveillance State? An unprecedented level of digital transformation is occurring across all aspects of society. Moreover, we are at increased risk of becoming a Predictive State, as evidenced by technology exploitation in China. Following are ten sets of facts to consider.

As the repositories of sensitive data and PII explode, machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) is being exploited to analyze and predict behavior. According to a new report by International Data Corporation, ML/AI spending will grow from $37.5 billion to $97.9 billion in 2023. Per David Schubmehl, research director, Cognitive/Artificial Intelligence Systems, "[t]he use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) is occurring in a wide range of solutions and applications from ERP and manufacturing software to content management, collaboration, and user productivity." With quantum computing becoming mainstream over the next decade, the ability to analyze and predict outcomes will scale by orders of magnitude.

China is a world leader in the exploitation of individuals' data with ML/AI. Its cutting-edge Social Score Credit System, that takes in a broad range of behaviors both financial and social, all underwritten by an invisible web of Big Data, is a portent of the Predictive State.

To protect individual liberty, we need to pass national privacy legislation that mandates that individuals own data about themselves, states that consent is required to share that data, and specifies data security best practices for compliance.