The watchdog’s report sheds new light on the vast scope of activity China is monitoring as it cracks down on its minority Muslim Uighur population in a bid to stop terrorism before it happens. The US State Department says as many as two million Uighurs are being held in camps in Xinjiang, a number disputed by Chinese authorities even though they haven’t disclosed a figure.
(June 6): A mobile app used by police to track citizens in China’s far west region of Xinjiang shows how some of the country’s biggest technology companies are linked to a mass surveillance system that is more sophisticated than previously known, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.
The app uses facial recognition technology to match faces with photo identification and cross-check pictures on different documents, the New York-based group said on May 2. The app also takes a host of other data points – from electricity and smartphone use to personal relationships to political and religious affiliations – to flag suspicious behaviour, the report said.
