Chinese army shuns connected wearable tech

PLA doesn’t want soldiers sharing location data

Wearable tech is hitting the headlines regularly this month, following the recent release of the Apple Watch. But it seems that Chinese military chiefs are not so keen on soldiers wearing connected devices.

There is plenty of hand-wringing here in the West over the values and potential dangers of kids using Google-friendly smartphones in exams and drivers being constantly distracted on the road by their iPhones - and the potential threat of connected watches alerting the enemy to a soldier’s position is clear.

China's army newspaper, the People's Liberation Army Daily, has warned soldiers this week that:

"The moment a soldier puts on a device that can record high-definition audio and video, take photos, and process and transmit data, it's very possible for him or her to be tracked or to reveal military secrets.

"The use of wearables with internet access, location information, and voice calling functions," it continued, "should be considered a violation of national security provisions when used by military personnel."

We’re not sure exactly how many Chinese soldiers can actually afford a new Apple Watch, of course, but suspect it’s a very tiny minority!