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In the autonomous region of Xinjiang (northwest), China has taken mass surveillance to the extreme. In a new investigation, the NGO Human Rights Watch illustrates how, thanks to sophisticated technology, police track every movement of Uyghurs and other Turkic and Muslim minorities in the name of fighting terrorism. Maya Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, explains the methods used by the authorities.
By Heike Schmidt
RFI: Does your new research prove that in Xinjiang it is enough to listen to suras from the Koran on the phone to get arrested?
Mayan Wang: That’s how it is. We have scientifically analyzed a database used by the police. Of course, we have been documenting crimes against humanity in Xinjiang since 2017. We knew that people were being arrested and imprisoned just because their phones contained Islamic preaching. But this new investigation shows that the authorities consider recording preaching and reciting the Qur’an dangerous and extremist. We’ve identified it in one of their official databases, and now we understand how surveillance works.
What is in this database of the Chinese authorities that they have been able to access?
We examined a list of 50,000 files classified as violent or extremist by the police. 9% of these files include violent content, bloody scenes such as beheadings. 4% contain calls for violence. But it is still a very small proportion. More than half, 57% to be precise, are simple religious texts, including recitations from the Koran, which are not extremist or violent.
In the eyes of the Chinese police, what exactly do the terms “violent” or “extremist” mean?
This is precisely the problem in China and Xinjiang in particular: the Chinese government says it fights terrorism and extremism, but these terms are very loosely defined. Often, it is not about disseminating violent or extremist content, or calling for violence. If you criticize the government, you can be accused of being an extremist. Anti-terrorism laws are extremely vaguely worded in China. But in Xinjiang, the authorities go beyond these laws and often act illegally. Under the banner of the fight against terrorism, almost everything is considered terrorism.
Can it be said that the smartphone facilitates the totalitarian espionage of citizens?
This is what our study shows. The smartphone has become the best way to monitor the population. What is striking about our study is also the extent and speed with which the police are able to analyze all the content on the phones. In Urumqi, the capital (3.5 million inhabitants), they have examined 1.2 million phones no less than 11 million times in just nine months. Imagine how many agents it would take if this had to be done manually. It would be almost impossible, but the technology allows you to check the content of the mobile very quickly. The Xinjiang story demonstrates why surveillance is problematic. A society can be suppressed with simple and sophisticated technical means. Each time, the State goes one step further. With each step, freedom is further eradicated in a very intrusive way.
Human Rights Watch calls for an international and independent investigation in Xinjiang, but how to convince China to accept it?
Last October, the UN Human Rights Council wanted to pass a resolution to discuss the situation in Xinjiang. But it failed because too many states were against it. But we hope that in the next sessions, starting in June, governments like France will take the initiative to call for a resolution, to debate and establish a mechanism to examine China’s human rights abuses, especially in Xinjiang. It is feasible, it is only a matter of the will to do so in the Human Rights Council.
