📡Guardians of Hong Kong
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We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
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China: Big Data Program Targets Xinjiang’s Muslims

A leaked list of over 2,000 detainees from Aksu prefecture provided to Human Rights Watch is further evidence of China’s use of technology in its repression of Muslim population.

Human Rights Watch first reported big data program, the Integrated Joint Operations Platform (IJOP), in February 2018, and “revised engineered” the IJOP mobile apps in May 2019. IJOP System assists officials in selecting targets.

“Predictive policing’ platforms are really just a pseudo scientific fig lead for the Chinese government to justify vast representation of Turkic Muslims,” senior China research Maya Wong said. “The Chinese government should immediately shut down the IJOP, delete all data it has collected, and release everyone arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang.”

Source: Human Rights Watch #Dec09

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/09/china-big-data-program-targets-xinjiangs-muslims
#Xinjiang #China #BigData #IJOP #HumanRights
#FirstHand #Feb1
HK Gov't Partners with US-sanctioned Chinese Company #BGI to Test Local Population

On Feb 1, 2021, the Hong Kong government imposes mandatory lockdown in 4 districts including Yau Ma Tei, Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui and Yuen Long.

From the photos taken in Yuen Long, the China-owned Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) was seen partnering with the Hong Kong government in collecting samples and carrying out #covid19 testing for the Hong Kong population.

The BGI Group was sanctioned by the US government in 2020 for facilitating mandatory gene testing in Xinjiang for the Chinese Communist Party government.

In a phone survey conducted by Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) in August 2020, only 20.9% of the respondents in Hong Kong were willing to join the COVID-19 test carried out by the BGI.

Under the government's mandatory lockdown, civilians, however, have no choice but only to be tested as per the authorities' order.

#FailedState #PoliceState #MassSurveillance #BigData #CCP #YuenLongLockdown
#FirstHand #Feb2
HK Gov't Commissions China-owned Gene Testing Company #BGI to Collect Samples from the Locals

On Feb 2, 2021, the Hong Kong government enforced multi-district lockdowns for consecutive days, despite a record of zero positive rate in its last six operation.

Just like one day ago in Yuen Long, the China-owned company Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), which has been sanctioned by the US for collecting genetic information of the Uighur population in Xinjiang for the Chinese Communist Party government, was again sighted in the lockdown site in Tin Shui Wai.

The HK government has commissioned the Chinese company to conduct #Covid19 test on the local population.

#FailedState #MassSurveillance #BigData #CCP
#MassSurveillance #FacialRecognition
Hong Kong Governmemt Amends Privacy Policy: Airport Passengers’ Personal Data Can be Assessed by Third Party Supplier

Since Jan 2021, a new facial recognition system has been added to every boarding gate (called the "e-security gates") at the Hong Kong International Airport.

This was one of Hong Kong Airport’s 9 billions renovation projects. However, just one day before the deployment of the new system, the Airport Authority Hong Kong amended the privacy policy of the e-security gates.

Compared with the previous version from June 28, 2019 found in the Internet Archive, passengers’ privacy became less protected. Some articles of the “Passengers’ agreement” and one part which mentioned “only anonymous data would be collected” were removed in the new version.

Passengers personal data could also be sent to the third party supplier. The Authority has refused to disclose the identity of the system supplier.

Source: Radio Free Asia #Feb23

#BigData
#MassSurveillance #BigData
HK Gov't's COVID-tracing App Keeps Visit Records For Up to 7 Years and Shares Data with Enforcement Personnel

Source: Unwire #Mar24

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#MassSurveillance #BigData
HK Gov't's COVID-tracing App Keeps Visit Records For Up to 7 Years and Shares Data with Enforcement Personnel

Recently, a revised privacy statement of the Hong Kong government-endorsed COVID-tracing app, #LeaveHomeSafe, showed that users’ visit records would be uploaded to the Department of Health and stored for a period of up to seven years.

The statement also mentioned that such records could be provided to law enforcement agents, aiding their tracking work.

This statement is different from the earlier version in February 2021, in which it stressed that records of users’ visits would only be stored in their handsets and will not be used for other track-and-trace matters.

It seems that users’ visit records have already been sent to the Government database. It was said that users’ visit records lodged via the mobile app would be first collected in the cloud database for statistical reports compilation.

Once a confirmed #COVID19 case is identified, the relevant information is downloaded to the user's mobile phone to track down his/her close contacts.

The new Privacy Statement also stated that in the face of an offence or prosecution, the Privacy Commission could authorize the use of relevant data for enforcement purposes.

Source: Unwire.hk; #Mar24

https://unwire.hk/2021/03/24/stayhomesafeappprivacyongpnermsoft/software/

#LeaveHomeSafe #Privacy #TrackandTrace #DepartmentofHealth
#Facebook: #ChineseHackers Attempt to Breach #Uyghurs Communication Devices for #Surveillance

Facebook reported that groups of Chinese hackers tried to set up fake accounts on Facebook in order to get in contact with Uyghurs overseas. After gaining their trust, they send their victims malicious links disguised as Uyghur news sites or online stores, in an attempt to install spyware on their phones for surveillance.

The report on the hacking activities was published on March 24, 2021 in which Facebook did not directly link the incident to the Chinese government, but said that the activity "had the hallmarks of a well-resourced and persistent operation". The hacking groups involved, known in the cybersecurity industry as Earth Empusa and Evil Eye, have also been involved in other surveillance activities in the past.

The hackers mainly target Uyghur human rights activists, journalists, and dissidents from Xinjiang. Most of them currently live in Turkey, Kazakhstan, the United States, Syria, Australia and Canada.

Source: Stand News #Mar25

https://www.thestandnews.com/international/facebook-中國駭客試圖入侵維吾爾族通訊工具進行監視/

#Uyghurs #Cybersecurity #ChineseHackers #MassSurveillance #BigData
#MassSurveillance #BigData
Hong Kong Government Installs 1,200 Bluetooth Detectors on Major Roads


Source: MingPao #March25

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29298
#MassSurveillance #BigData
Hong Kong Government Installs 1,200 Bluetooth Detectors on Major Roads

The Transport Department in Hong Kong has completed the installation of 1,200 sets of traffic detectors on major roads at the end of 2020, despite public concerns about the privacy of the "smart lampposts".

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (#OGCIO) in Hong Kong did remove the cameras and Bluetooth traffic detectors from the lampposts in May 2020. However, other departments continued to install Bluetooth detectors on other lampposts.

These detectors include video detectors, Bluetooth detectors and automatic license plate recognition detectors. The Bluetooth detectors, which can detect drivers and passengers' Bluetooth devices such as personal phones, headphones and smartwatches.

The IT industry stated that the Department did not consult the industry before installation, nor find the best technical solution to protect citizen’s privacy.

The Transport Department claimed that it has done a privacy risk assessment, and the collected Bluetooth data will be deleted.

Leo To, Executive Committee of the HK Wireless Technology Industry Association believes that there are many alternative solutions to detect vehicle speed that doesn’t require a collection of personal device data, such as the most traditional radar, the existing lens, the latest optical radar.

He said that he cannot understand why the Department chose to use a technology that “can possibly turn surveillance into monitoring".

In Mid-2019, the Hong Kong Government launched 50 smart lampposts in the Kwun Tong/Kai Tak Development Area which raised privacy concerns and were partially destroyed during the anti-extradition movement.

The government subsequently set up a technical advisory committee to review the plan, the committee's report recommended the use of thermal detectors, optical radar (#LiDAR) instead of cameras, and "more privacy-friendly" technology instead of Bluetooth detectors to detect vehicle speed and identify different types of vehicles. If the results are satisfactory, it is expected to be installed in the existing smart lampposts for field testing in the middle of this year.

Francis Fong Po-Kiu, A member of the Multi-functional Smart Lampposts Technical Advisory Ad Hoc Committee, requests the Department to provide relevant information to the public, including the exact location of all detectors, the information collected, the technology used, the privacy report results, and whether it will be used for law enforcement purposes.

Source: MingPao #March25

#Privacy #SmartLamppost #BigBrother

http://news.mingpao.com/pns2103251616610400825

http://news.mingpao.com/pns2103251616610404390
#MassSurveillance #Privacy
Media in the Netherlands: #Huawei Might Have Sent Users' Data to China

According to the media outlet de Volkskrant in the Netherlands, the local telecommunication company Telfort was aware sincec 2011 that the Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei could access the data of over millions of users without a trace.

This is revealed in an internal report of KPN, the parent company of Telport; however, the company has never informed relevant department such as the Data Protection Authority (#DPA) and their customers.

Scholars pointed out the possibilty of having the data channeled to China, although Huawei denied that data has been shared.

Source: Stand News #Mar31

https://www.thestandnews.com/international/%E5%A4%96%E5%AA%92-%E8%8F%AF%E7%82%BA%E6%9B%BE%E5%8F%AF%E4%B8%8D%E7%95%99%E7%97%95%E8%B7%A1%E5%AD%98%E5%8F%96%E8%8D%B7%E8%98%AD%E9%9B%BB%E8%A8%8A%E5%95%86%E9%81%8E%E7%99%BE%E8%90%AC%E7%94%A8%E6%88%B6%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99/

#Telport #KPN #Telecommunication #BigData #BigBrother
#SupportAppleDaily
Authorities' Suppression of #AppleDaily Fuels #PublicAnger Online, #Analysis Shows

According to ASI #BigData Analysis by Hong Kong Citizens News, in the week following the police raid of Apple Daily, there were over 56,000 posts relating to the now-shut-down pro-democracy newspaper on Facebook.

Statements containing foul language peaked on Thursday, June 17, 2021, constituting 75% of the posts. It indicates that the public were very concerned about Apple Daily, and showed huge discontent towards the government's treatment of the pro-democracy newspaper.

June 17, 2021 was the day the Hong Kong police raided the Apple Daily office and arrested 3 editors and 2 executives, accusing them of #NationalSecurity breaches.

On forums used mainly by young non-pro-Establishment Hongkongers, around 36,000 posts have been made in the past 7 days. The use of foul language peaked on the afternoon of Friday, June 18, 2021, constituting 30% of the comments.

June 18 marks the day when the Hong Kong police presses charges at the newspaper's editor-in-chief #RyanLaw and #NextDigital CEO #CheungKimHung with the #NationalSecurityLaw.

Source: Hong Kong Citizens News #Jun21
https://bit.ly/3gNbUuI

https://www.facebook.com/hkcnews/posts/1476391809370890
#News #InformationWar
#Wikipedia wars: How Hongkongers and mainland Chinese are battling to set the #narrative

//Wikipedia now hosts over one million articles in its Chinese edition alone. Entries can be written and edited by any internet user as long as these are supported by reliable news sources, although no original research is allowed.

Wikipedia volunteers in Hong Kong say they face increasing problems finding a diverse range of reliable media sources to cite....

Their mainland counterparts are pushing for the use of Chinese state media as reliable news sources to channel their version of events.

Hong Kong users also fear that it will become harder for them to get elected as administrators on Wikipedia – a role which gives them power to adjudicate on editing decisions and invoke the website’s guiding rules and principles – because the Chinese version of the website is dominated by mainland users.

A Chinese Wikipedia article about the Yuen Long MTR mob attack in July 2019 had recorded a whopping 1,912 edits as of July 8, with 473 media sources cited in footnotes.

As Apple Daily closed last month, some users attempted to purge Wikipedia of news outlets deemed pro-democracy. One user named “Walter Grassroot” started removing Apple Daily news links in articles en masse, hours before the newspaper’s official shutdown on June 23.

In his user history, Walter Grassroot left a comment supportive of another user MINQI, who appeared sympathetic to pro-China viewpoints, saying: “People supporting Taiwan, Hong Kong, Manchu and Falun Gong independence exist because of financial support in the background” and they must set up a foundation for efficient “large scale clean-ups” of articles in the future...

Screenshots that surfaced on Wednesday showed users on the Chinese QQ messaging app for mainland Wikipedia editors discussing reporting their Hong Kong peers to the city’s national security police hotline.

“We should report those from the Hong Kong user group,” a QQ user under the handle “Walter Grassroot” wrote after another user posted an image of the hotline’s details. “Nice idea,” another replied...//

Read the full article:
hongkongfp.com/2021/07/11/wikipedia-wars-how-hongkongers-and-mainland-chinese-are-battling-to-set-the-narrative/

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Jul11

#BigData #InvisibleHand #Editorship #AppleDaily
#BigData #MassSurveillance
China’s Gene Company Shares Genetic Data Obtained Around the World with Military

Source: Stand News; #Jul8

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30523
#BigData #MassSurveillance
China’s Gene Company Shares Genetic Data Obtained Around the World with Military

A Reuters’ investigative report found that the China-based gene company #BGI group has been collecting #GeneticData from over 8 million pregnant women for sweeping research on the traits of populations via selling prenatal tests around the world.

The research was said to be developed in collaboration with the Chinese military.

These genetic data were amassed without names, but contsined infornation of nationality, height, and weight. Such prenatal tests were also available in Hong Kong.

BGI is one of the Hong Kong Government appointed institutions for COVID-19 tests in Hong Kong. In recent years, BGI has been trying to mark its reputation by selling and donating millions of COVID-19 detection tools around the world.The U.S. security services warned that it is a well-established means for the company to collect worldwide genetic data.

Reuters report pointed out that BGI’s prenatal test, No Invasive prenatal gene testing for Fetal Chromosomal Abnormalities (NIFTY) is a source of genetic data for the company. These data were collected in 52 countries around the world among 8 million pregnant women.

Source: Stand News; #Jul8

https://www.thestandnews.com/society/%E8%B7%AF%E9%80%8F%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E8%8F%AF%E5%A4%A7%E5%9F%BA%E5%9B%A0%E5%85%A8%E7%90%83%E6%94%B6%E9%80%BE-800-%E8%90%AC%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E6%95%B8%E6%93%9A-%E8%88%87%E8%A7%A3%E6%94%BE%E8%BB%8D%E5%85%B1%E4%BA%AB%E5%81%9A%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6
#MassSurveillance
All Government buildings Will Require LeaveHomeSafe Starting November

The Hong Kong government announced yesterday that all citizens are required to record their visit with LeaveHomeSafe before entering government buildings and offices, such as public libraries, sports centres, museums, etc. It will be strictly enforced starting from November.

The Hospital Authority (HA) and the Police Force said that the new rule covers the HA Headquarters, public hospital administrative buildings, police headquarters, and police stations.

The Society for Community Organization said that many homeless people rely on the drinking water and showering facilities in government sports halls, and sometimes need to visit government offices for various procedures. However, most of them do not have a smartphone or even a mobile phone. As a result, many had expressed anxiety about making LeaveHomeSafe mandatory for these facilities.

When LeaveHomeSafe was first released in November last year, government officials said using it would be voluntary, and only a convenience for one's own visits electronically. However, days afterwards, officials stated on a radio programme that they would not rule out making it compulsory.

Updates: The government has announced that cemeteries, public toilets, public bathhouse and rubbish collection points are exempted.

Editor's note: LeaveHomeSafe is a digital contact tracing app launched by the Hong Kong Government in response to the pandemic, for recording visit history (eg. date, time, and venue). Unlike many countries who made their app open-source and welcomed public scrutiny, Hong Kong's app is proprietary, and its privacy statement acknowledges that user records would be uploaded and stored by the government.

#LeaveHomeSafe #COVID19 #Surveillance #HomelessPeople #StreetSleepers #BigData #Privacy

Source: Stand News #Oct21
https://bit.ly/3ErUfCS

see also: HK Gov't's COVID-tracing App Keeps Visit Records For Up to 7 Years and Shares Data with Enforcement Personnel
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29224
#MassSurveillance
Government Makes #LeaveHomeSafe app Compulsory in Hong Kong Starting from Nov 1; Police Makes Arrests

The Hong Kong SAR Government implemented yet another controversial rule on November 1, 2021, mandating the population to check in with the LeaveHomeSafe tracking app when entering government premises. These locales include libraries, wet markets, courts, and sports facilities.

On the first day of its implementation, the Hong Kong Police arrested at least 5 people in the morning at Immigration Tower in Wan Chai, accusing them of using a fake app.

RTHK reported that the arrestees included two immigration officers, one staff member of the Audit Commission and two contractors.

Although exemptions are given to children, the elderly and disabled people, they are still required to submit their personal details.

Civil Service Secretary #PatrickNip claimed the government will "exercise flexibility"; however, according to InMedia, outside the Tai Po Municipal Complex, many domestic helpers and elderly had difficulties in adapting to the policy. Some had to download the app on the site, while some left for the street market instead.

As the people of Hong Kong expressed concern over the privacy issue of the government-monitored app, many citizens bought a new phone just for installing the app and to prevent personal information from being tracked.

Source: InMedia; RTHK #Nov1
https://bit.ly/3EsNyAq

#FailedState #BigData #Privacy #Obstruction #Elderly #Regime
#WinterOlympics #MassSurveillance
Official #Beijing 2022 Olympics #MobileApp Is Marred by Security Flaws, Researchers Say

//In a report released Tuesday, Citizen Lab also said the app didn’t properly encrypt sensitive metadata transmitted through the app’s messaging function, which meant any eavesdropper operating a Wi-Fi hot spot could discover who users are communicating with and when.

The Beijing 2022 handbook for athletes and officials says My 2022 is intended to ensure the safety of all Games participants and “is in accordance with international standards and Chinese law.”//

Read the full article:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/official-beijing-2022-olympics-mobile-app-is-marred-by-security-flaws-researchers-say-11642511957

Source: WSJ #Jan19

#BigData #Regime #Cybersecurity #ChineseInternet #PoliceState #ChineseLaw
Surveillance for All: China Pushes for Permanent Health Code by 2025

Source: Radio Free Asia #Nov10

#CCP #SurveillanceState #WuhanPneumonia #HealthCode #BigData #BigBrother

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Surveillance for All: China Pushes for Permanent Health Code by 2025

Although the #WHO had clearly stated that there had been a drastic 90% decrease in COVID deaths across the world, China had not embraced this optimistic view. Instead, it has declared a goal of making the Health QR Code mandatory for everyone in the country by 2025, enforcing a long-term, real-time surveillance for its citizens.

On Nov 9, The National Health Commission of China announced on its website that by 2025, every Chinese citizen will have a dynamically-managed electronic health file and a fully-functional electronic health code. The announcement is jointly published by the National Health Commission, State Administration of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the announcement, the health code systems currently in use are run by each province separately, and the systems from different provinces do not generally recognize each other's codes. In response, the central government aims to create a basic, inter-connected surveillance platform by 2025, in which each resident will have a dynamically-managed electronic health file and a fully-functional electronic health code.

With such a system in place, the Chinese government will be able to leverage big data to trace the so-called "high-risk individuals", establishing a long-term, real-time surveillance and control of the Chinese populace.

Source: Radio Free Asia #Nov10

https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/code-11102022062758.html

see also:
"Encode us": Health Code, or is it CCP's Social Credit System? (Aug 17, 2020)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24283

#CCP #SurveillanceState #WuhanPneumonia #HealthCode #BigData #BigBrother
China Establishes Bureau to Take "Special Care" of High Net Worth Individuals

Sources: Commons HK #Nov10

#BigData #BigBrother #HNWI #ChivesHarvesting

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