#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

#BigBrother
British Minister Resigned Over Affair Scandal; Surveillance Camera Comes from Chinese enterprises monitoring Xinjiang 
 
British Secretary of Health Matt Hancock, who was married, was revealed to have kissed a colleague, who was also married, in his office. Matt has resigned on 26 June, 2021.

What alarmed the British government the most is the leakage of the surveillance camera footage of Matt's office.

According to the media, the camera was menufactured by the Chinese company Hikvision, which provides CCP with equipment to monitor Xinjiang. The company has been blacklisted by the United States for violating human rights in Uyghur.
 
Although British security officers claimed that there was a low chance that the incident involved countries that are hostile to the UK, British politicians called on the government to pay attention to China-made monitoring devices.

British Labour Party member Conor McGinn indicated that "the problem is not just about the scandal of Matt Hancock being exposed, but the security crisis within the British government“.

McGinn demanded the goverment to respond to how "a private company that has a connection with China can reach the depth of Whitehall”.
 
Source: Stand News #Jun29

https://bit.ly/3wUcHQs

#UnitedKingdom #Xinjiang #Uyghurs #Monitoring #MattHancock #Privacy #Blacklist #China #Politics  

#WhiteTerror
#Vitasoy requests personal info of staff's family and affiliations in order to pay their wages

On July 1, 2021, a 50-year-old Hong Kong man #LeungKinFai killed himself after stabbing a policeman. It later came to public attention that Leung was an employee at the beverage maker Vitasoy.

In August 2021, a union group expressed concern over reports that Vitasoy is asking its staff to declare any links they and their relatives have with various organisations.

Vitasoy has reportedly asked its workers in mid-August 2021 to sign an agreement to allow the company to collect their personal information as well as that of their family members, including any membership of associations or affiliation with different organisations.

According to the reports, the manufacturer also stated that it might not be able to pay workers if they decline to submit the information, and that such data would be handed over to law enforcement departments if required.

A worker who spoke to Stand News says he could not understand why the company
would want to collect information on their family members. "I'm the one working here, not my family. I feel like they're stripping me naked." Another worker said that it put him in a dilemma: "if I agree, I'd worry my personal information would be leaked. If I don't, I might not be able to feed my family."

According to RTHK reports, Confederation of Trade Unions' chief executive Mung Siu-tat said it is rare for companies to require information that is irrelevant to a person's job. "It's not just collecting the staff members' information, but also their families’. It makes people question if the practice has violated the privacy ordinance because it'd be collecting excessive data," he told an RTHK programme.

Mung said he was not convinced by Vitasoy's explanation that it was merely digitalising its human resources system. "Whether it's for salary payment or for signing them up for medical plans, it should already have got sufficient information to do so," he said. "It's not just updating [its system], it has changed the scope of the personal data it collects. It's collecting more private information that is irrelevant to the employment."

Mung said that it is not difficult to imagine that the move was linked to the stabbing incident on July 1.

Source: RTHK; Stand News #Aug28
https://thestandnews.page.link/isaoEeDhpy8KDmxs6

#PoliticalSuppression #Privacy #Censorship

#Google handed user data to Hong Kong authorities despite pledge after security law was enacted

//Google has provided user data to the Hong Kong government in response to three requests made between July and December last year, making it the first US tech giant to disclose its compliance with requests from the local authorities for user data after the national security law was enacted last June.

In total, the 42 legal requests it received during the six-month reporting period involved 46 user accounts, whilst the one emergency disclosure request involved a single account.

The tech giant said it still requires the vast majority of Hong Kong government requests to be processed through diplomatic procedures, including any national security law related requests…//

Read the full article
https://hongkongfp.com/2021/09/11/google-handed-user-data-to-hong-kong-authorities-despite-pledge-after-security-law-was-enacted/

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Sept11
Image: Stand News

#Privacy #Data

#Privacy #Tracking
HK Police Tracks Location with #LeaveHomeSafe, Police Officer Arrested in Assault Case

Source: Stand News #Sept18

Read more
⬇️⬇️

#Privacy #Tracking
HK Police Tracks Location with #LeaveHomeSafe, Police Officer Arrested in Assault Case

On September 18, 2021, a 32-year-old Hong Kong policeman was arrested for assault. He has allegedly inflicted "bodily harm", to another man in Tsim Sha Tsui in the early hours of the same day.

The Hong Kong Police issued a statement emphasizing that they take discipline among their officers very seriously, and will not tolerate any personnel committing criminal acts. They will conduct criminal investigations and disciplinary reviews accordingly.

According to HK01's report, the victim was together with four other officers when he was struck. When he called the police, the others had left the scene.

Police investigations found that the four had used the government's LeaveHomeSafe contact tracing app to record their visit to the venue. One of the four have been identified as inspector in the Police Public Relations Branch (#PPRB).

[Editor's note:
The government had issued a media statement in February 2021 to alleviate the public's privacy concerns towards the LeaveHomeSafe app. The statement, from the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, explain that "visit records are kept on users’ mobile phones only, not in any government systems. There is no transfer of personal data to the Government’s system or operators of premises for retention."

https://www.pcpd.org.hk/english/news_events/media_statements/press_20210219.html ]

Source: Stand News #Sept18
https://thestandnews.page.link/gqQm8zbWM1cKWUr68

#AsiasFinest #Privacy #HKPolice #FailedState

#Court
‘Heaviest sentence yet’ in Hong Kong #doxxing case, but site targeting democrats, journalists still online

//Despite a crackdown on the sharing of personal data, a huge doxxing website targeting over 2,000 Hong Kong democrats and journalists remains online despite HKFP's enquiries seven weeks ago.

Hung Wing-sum was sentenced to 45 months behind bars on Monday after admitting to publicly divulging the personal details of government officials, judges, celebrities, police officers and their family members over the Telegram messaging app.

“This is the heaviest sentence imposed by a court in a doxxing case so far,” Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung said in a statement.

Monday’s sentencing comes as a website targeting democrats and journalists remains online almost two months after HKFP alerted the authorities with media enquires. Since 2019, the “HK Leaks” website has openly maintained an online database of personal data belonging to over 2,000 Hong Kong democrats, protesters and journalists.

ID card numbers, headshots, home addresses and phone numbers are often included. Historically, the site has been hosted on Russian servers and promoted by groups linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

When asked in early August if any action would be take against the domain, or whether the site violated existing laws, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data refused to comment on individual cases...

Responding to HKFP, the police also refused to comment on individual cases last month, and did not say whether any action would be taken...//

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Sept28

https://hongkongfp.com/2021/09/28/privacy-chief-welcomes-heaviest-sentence-yet-for-doxxing-case-but-a-site-targeting-democrats-journalists-still-online/

#CCP #Privacy #PoliticalOppression #Discrimination

#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

Bloomberg: Xi Jinping’s “common prosperity” makes investors uneasy, Chinese regulators meet with Wall Street executives to defend against technology companies  
 
According to Bloomberg, China recently defends against technology companies and the “common prosperity” from Chinese President Xi Jinping makes global investors feel disturbed. Chinese regulators and Wall Street executives had a closed meeting on Thursday, which defending the recent suppression of multiple industries, claiming that its regulatory measures are not aimed at technology or private companies. 
 
According to quoted resources from the report, Fang Xinghai, Vice Chairman of China Securities Regulatory Commission, Senior Officials of the People’s Bank of China, and financial companies such as Goldman Sachs, Citadel, and BlackRock, held a 3-hour closed-door meeting on Thursday.  
 
During the meeting, Fang Xinghai stated the supervision from Chinese government to Chinese companies should not be interpreted as being decoupled from the US or international financial markets. He stated that, China recent measures are targeting at companies operating consumer platforms and strengthens the supervision to improve privacy safety and national security. For measures that are aiming at education training industries and gaming industries, it is aiming to reduce the concerns of society.  
 
Source: Stand News #Sep19

https://bit.ly/3GRsUvQ
 
#Bloomberg #XiJinping #WallStreet #China #Technology #Supervision #Privacy #NationalSecurity #Education #GamingIndustries  

#Report: Security concerns over compulsory app launched by Hong Kong government

This is part of a report published by #TechOpenFund on July 27, 2022. The investigation was conducted by #7ASecurity and #OTFRedTeamLab in 2022:

//...This exercise involved both a privacy audit and a security audit of the #LeaveHomeSafe #Android and #iOS apps.

The privacy audit could not conclusively prove malicious intent or unauthorized tracking of Hong Kong citizens. However, the security audit demonstrated that these applications have not been professionally audited by any competent security firm before, and that significant flaws exist in the current software security development lifecycle.

This is particularly concerning given that the app was originally introduced more than a year and a half ago, was made mandatory in some fashion for 9 months and recently began requesting real name registration and tracking user’s movements.

While no clear privacy violation could be conclusively proven during the audit at runtime, a number of application artifacts, likely inherited from underlying dependencies or simply security vulnerabilities introduced by mistake, were found during this exercise.//

Read the full article:
https://www.opentech.fund/news/7asecurity-otf-red-team-lab-partner-completes-blackbox-pentest-and-privacy-audit-of-leavehomesafe-app/

Source: Open Tech Fund #Jul27

#MassSurveillance #Track #Privacy #App #PoliceState #Pandemic

#MassSurveillance
#TikTok Browser Can Track Users’ Keystrokes, According to New Research

// The web browser used within the TikTok app can track every keystroke made by its users, according to new research that is surfacing as the Chinese-owned video app grapples with U.S. lawmakers’ concerns over its data practices.

The research from Felix Krause, a privacy researcher and former Google engineer, did not show how TikTok used the capability, which is embedded within the in-app browser that pops up when someone clicks an outside link. But Mr. Krause said the development was concerning because it showed TikTok had built in functionality to track users’ online habits if it chose to do so.

Collecting information on what people type on their phones while visiting outside websites, which can reveal credit card numbers and passwords, is often a feature of malware and other hacking tools. While major technology companies might use such trackers as they test new software, it is not common for them to release a major commercial app with the feature, whether or not it is enabled, researchers said. //

Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/19/technology/tiktok-browser-tracking.html

Source: New York Times #Aug19

#BigBrother #CreditCard #Privacy

#Surveillance
Portable charger in China Turned into Eavesdropping Device and GPS Locator

In China, a portable charger can become an eavesdropping device and a GPS locator. Acoording to Chinese media, with the installation of SIM card, such portable charger can eavesdrop a long distance away and locate the user accurately.

These devices come in various colours and models, but most have the functionality of "remote monitoring recording" and "precise positioning".

They cost from RMB300 to RMB600 and can be bought on some online platforms.

In China, a journalist from #Banyuetan (#半月談) successfully modifies a portable charger from a store with RMB300. He downloads a "#GPS365" app onto his phone. After logging in with the username and password given by the seller, the screen shows the device location, tracking record, contact list, messages etc.

The journalist puts "location" in trial and finds out that the activity tracking of the user can be seen clearly with the portable charger. Even places like underground and car parks can still be accurately shown on the system.

The staff told the journalist that the charger could record sound from the surroundings and automatically send the recording to the phone once the environment noise exceeds 50dB with "Sound Control Convo (#聲控語聊到)" installed in the app. The portable charger can also pick up phone calls automatically.

Source: RFA #Jul27
https://www.facebook.com/454004001340790/posts

#GPS #SoundControl #Tracking #Taobao #Privacy #Security #PrecisePositioning #MadeinChina

Images from over 700 surveillance cameras in Taiwan leaked, all using Huawei chips

Source: Unwire.hk #Dec08

#Taiwan #Huawei #Privacy #Camera #Chips

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️

Images from over 700 surveillance cameras in Taiwan leaked, all using Huawei chips

The Taiwanese media has reported that over 700 private surveillance cameras have been leaked live on websites such as Insecam. The leaked footage included postnatal care homes, clinics, some homes' entrances, living rooms and even bedrooms, all of which had one thing in common: the cameras used Huawei chips.

A bun shop owner in the Datong district of Taipei City said that she was scared to see the images of her shop on the internet. She never thought that these images would be made public, and the thought of being watched at work made her feel uncomfortable. The surveillance cameras used in these leaked locations all have Huawei chips built into them, most of which are HiSilicon Hi3516 chips.

Source: Unwire.hk #Dec08

#Taiwan #Huawei #Privacy #Camera #Chips

https://unwire.hk/2022/12/08/taiwan-cctv-hacked-and-leaked/tech-secure/