[chr1]

> Socialist China and USSR had no qualms about using technology against their people and I imagine it scared the hell out of their citizens.

USSR was a rather techno-optimist place, and to this day Russia and other post soviet countries have more positive attitude towards technology than most of the Europe. Experience of socialism have produced distrust only to social and political systems, not sciense and technology.

[rojosewe]

As someone coming from a currently socialist country and married to a post soviet citizen, I somewhat disagree. It's true there was optimism towards infrastructural technology but there is sever distrust to communication technology. As the main form of oppression is misuse of surveillance, people are very uncomfortable with these new technologies.