(TibetanReview.net, Feb08’24) – A software, ostensibly designed to combat fraud, is under scrutiny for its potential use as a surveillance tool against the Tibetan population in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), said the bbc.com and several other news reports Feb 7, citing a finding by two Tibet research groups.
The new report, by research network Turquoise Roof and rights monitor Tibet Watch, centres on the controversial “National Anti-Fraud Centre” app which was rolled out in 2021.
The research groups have found that the app could monitor users’ texts, internet browser histories and access personal data.
They have also alleged that some Tibetans had been forced to download the app.
Restrictions in Tibet had increased in recent years, tightening the screws on an already heavily controlled part of the PRC, the groups have noted.
While the report, “Weaponising Big Data: Decoding China’s digital surveillance in Tibet”, did not seek to present any evidence that the app was actively targeting Tibetans, it has said the app “aligns with extensive surveillance practices” and censorship ramped up in recent years, particularly during the pandemic, and could aid the Chinese government’s efforts in controlling them.
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The “National Anti-Fraud Centre” has been promoted as a scam-prevention app which can detect potential fraudulent texts and calls, while allowing users to report scams and receive help quickly from authorities. China has been battling a wave of internet and phone scams in recent years.
Based on a forensic analysis of the app conducted by it, Turquoise Roof has found that some of its functions could be exploited for surveillance purposes. It can monitor incoming text messages, and access call logs and internet browser histories. It can also capture users’ inputs such as passwords, and take photos which would allow it to gather visual data on users and surroundings.
Its face recognition verification feature could also be used for large-scale harvesting of data to enhance tracking and monitoring of Tibetans, according to the report.
Tibet Watch has cited a Tibetan refugee as saying he was stopped at a police checkpoint while on his way home from school last year, and was told to install the app on his mobile phone.
This had happened in the context of the fact that complaints about mandatory downloads of the app had arisen soon after its launch, when it was installed on an estimated 200 million phones.
Some local government agencies made it compulsory for employees, while others had to download the app in order to enrol their children into schools or apply for identification cards, noted the bbc.com report, citing, the Financial Times.
Separately, Turquoise Roof has uncovered from government procurement notices that Chinese authorities were maintaining a large database of Tibetan individuals deemed as a threat to stability. The database was said to use software from the US company Oracle.
The two research groups have said it was “reasonable to hypothesise” that any data collected by the anti-fraud app could be used in this database.
Tibet Watch has documented several cases of Tibetans detained for their messages on popular messaging platform WeChat, and instances where accounts and keywords deemed too politically sensitive were suspended or scrubbed.
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Activists and researchers have warned of a chilling effect of this Chinese surveillance practice on Tibetan society, leading to self-censorship and strained communication within the diaspora, noted a pc-tablet.com report Feb 7.
The integration of the “National Anti-Fraud Centre” app into China’s surveillance regime in Tibet presents a concerning evolution in the state’s monitoring and control mechanisms. As digital surveillance becomes more sophisticated and pervasive, the impact on Tibetan society—marked by increased self-censorship and hindered communication—signals a distressing trend towards more intrusive state oversight. The international community’s response and the tech industry’s ethical considerations will be pivotal in addressing these developments, the report noted.
Some analysts say these new findings provide a glimpse into Beijing’s security apparatus in Tibet. “The Chinese government’s apparatus in Tibet remains a black box in nature, but this report provides [the outside world] with a glimpse into how these systems work,” Greg Walton, senior investigator at UK-based security consulting firm SecDev Group and one of the report’s authors, has told the Voice of America Feb 7.
Turquoise Roof is a collaborative new research network of digitally connected specialists, Tibetan analysts and scholars brought together by Kate Saunders and Greg Walton in partnership with SecDev Group. It combines forensic data analysis, sources and methods including remote sensing platforms with the insights and expertise of Tibetans and Tibet watchers.
Tibet Watch is research partner of London-based Free Tibet campaign group.