Chinese police use app to target ‘suspicious’ citizens in Xinjiang: HRW report

Hong Kong CNN — Chinese authorities are using an app to collect vast amounts of data on Muslim Uyghurs, as part of a mass surveillance system in the far western region of Xinjiang, according to a report on Thursday. “The Chinese government will continue to uphold the unity of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, safeguard their happy life and promote progress in various fields of Xinjiang.” Video Ad Feedback How China is tearing Uyghur families apart 03:34 - Source: CNN 36 types of suspicious people As many as two million Muslim-majority Uyghurs are believed to have been imprisoned inside massive detention centers in Xinjiang, according to the US State Department, where they are allegedly taught Mandarin and Communist Party propaganda. “Our research shows, for the first time, that Xinjiang police are using illegally gathered information about people’s completely lawful behavior – and using it against them,” said Maya Wang, senior China researcher at HRW. The app connects to the IJOP – the region’s huge security apparatus, which uses facial recognition and aggregated data about Xinjiang residents – and “flags those deemed potentially threatening,” HRW says. These are used “for identification and tracking purposes.” The wider IJOP system has been developed by the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, described by the rights group as a “military contractor.” The app was developed by the Hebei Far East Communication System Engineering Company, which was wholly owned by the government at the time.