In the past few years, the situation in Xinjiang, China has slowly worsened. Much of the world looks on, preferring economic and foreign relations over upholding any human rights or ethical values. The few bodies that do, however, like the United Nations, have called China out, but many of these resolutions are, as always, more symbolic than they are effective.
Most of those who live in the developed world enjoy at least a moderate level of freedom of privacy, specifically when it comes to technology. Governments and corporations in these countries are less likely to be constantly looking over the shoulders of its citizens’ social media accounts. Though when government or big business oversteps, their populace tends to react fiercely. This is why big tech companies like Facebook and Google are waging a seemingly never-ending legal battle over user data and privacy. It’s why, in 2013, the American people acted the way they did after whistleblower Edward Snowden shed light on the inner workings of the National Security Agency.
However, people of some societies abide by an alternate way of life–where government and state-owned companies are monitoring their lives and barging through metaphorical front doors when phone calls hint even the slightest bit of dissent. A prime example of this is the ethnic Uighur Muslim population of more than 11 million in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, China.
New investigations find that hackers who allegedly work for the Chinese government have tapped into the devices of Uighur Muslims. They track the messages of travelers who leave and enter Central or Southeast Asia, using keywords like the names of Chinese politicians, and even have the ability to monitor received phone calls and exact locations. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has dismissed all allegations.
This has been part of a broader, more recent initiative to crack down on diplomats, travelers, and foreign military personnel. The same investigations find that telecommunications operators from countries like India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand (all of which are “transit” countries to Turkey that Uighurs pass through to escape persecution) have been compromised.
The strength of China’s espionage campaigns was further highlighted earlier this month when it was revealed that hackers could get into Apple and Android smartphones to monitor users. Apple confirmed an iOS flaw, which they had fixed in February of this year, that enabled the tracking of Uighur Muslims through numerous websites.
The reason for this? The ongoing tensions between the ethnic minority and the Chinese government have its roots years ago. Today, many experts say the Chinese government believes that Uighur Muslims who leave the country are leaving to fight for militant group in Iraq or Syria, and return to the mainland to commit acts of terror. As a result, the government has cracked down on online forums and instituted restrictive tracking policies within the country.
The true extent of China’s surveillance capabilities can only be estimated. But one thing is clear: brutal cyber campaigns have been used to oppress hundreds of thousands of innocent Uighurs. Because no real punitive action has been taken on China, these actions will likely continue to happen into the future.