HRIC Weekly Brief
February 20, 2024
Top News 头条
Chinese hacking is top of mind for the third week in a row: the information security space is buzzing over an apparent leak, posted on GitHub, that shows how Chinese company Shanghai Anxun provides spyware to China’s Ministry of Public Security. Among other things, the tech enables hacking into social media accounts, keylogging, and uncovering personal information such as a user’s real name and address. Meanwhile, ChatGPT’s creator, OpenAI, says it has “disrupted five state-affiliated actors that sought to use AI services in support of malicious cyber activities,” including at least one from China.
Last Friday, Human Rights in China was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose passing mirrors the fates of Chinese political prisoners such as Liu Xiaobo, Cao Shunli, Peng Ming and countless others. Human rights are not an internal, isolated issue; they should be a concern of the entire international community. Read our full statement here. China described Navalny’s death as “Russia’s internal affairs,” mirroring language it has used to block criticism of its own repressive policies.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
January 2024: Update on Legislative Proposals Introduced by NPC Delegates in 2023: The National People’s Congress special committees’ year-end reports came out last month, and some of the highlights are described here. Two interesting proposed bills are the Artificial Intelligence Law and Big Data Law, which may appear later this year.
How to Legally Handle Sensitive Personal Information in China: This guide to the Personal Information Protection Law summarizes the requirements for companies operating in China. For example, exporting data of more than 10,000 users requires a “security review” and approval from the Cybersecurity Administration of China.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
China’s VPN Usage Nearly Doubles Amid Internet Censorship: VPN usage in China doubled last year, despite a crackdown on VPNs. Experts suggest that increased censorship and restrictions on internet usage for minors may have driven the trend.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
China, Russia and Cambodia top list of regimes targeting critics in exile: New analysis released by Freedom House ranks China among the top five worst perpetrators of transnational repression last year. Between 2014 and 2023, China was responsible for a quarter of all incidents included in Freedom House’s research.
China's Spies Operating 'All Over Europe,' Intelligence Report Warns: Norway's annual report on security challenges highlights the presence of Chinese espionage networks across Europe, emphasizing their close relationships with corporate entities that must, under Chinese law, aid in intelligence gathering if told to do so.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
China holds citizen on spying charges after she did ‘admin’ work for US company: Emily Chen, a Chinese citizen living in Doha who is married to a U.S. national, was detained in December and is being held at an undisclosed location on suspicion of espionage. The reason seems to be a few months of administrative work that Chen did for an American company, Safe Ports, helping them to open an office in Dalian, also the location of a Chinese naval base.
Uyghur businessman returned to China by Iran serving 15-year sentence: A Uyghur man has been serving a 15-year sentence for traveling abroad since 2018, when he was deported from Iran when he arrived at the airport. This is the first documented instance of Iran cooperating with China to repatriate Uyghurs.
Nat. security trial for Tiananmen crackdown vigil group members to begin November at earliest: A case management hearing for Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho, and Lee Cheuk-yan’s case under the National Security Law set a deadline for the defense and prosecution for November 4, 2024, meaning the trial cannot begin until after that date.
Hong Kong’s protesters ‘shut out of jobs’ on release from prison: In Hong Kong, former activists who served time on protest or national security-related charges report being more or less blacklisted from housing and employment due to the political nature of their criminal record.
Veteran Hong Kong activist Koo Sze-yiu jailed for 9 months over planned protest against District Council race: 78-year-old Hong Kong activist Koo Sze-yiu has been sentenced to nine months in prison for “attempting or preparing to do an act with a seditious intention” under Hong Kong’s colonial-era sedition law. He had planned to bring a homemade coffin to protest the “patriots-only” District Council election in November.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
Reports Detail Tightening Information Flows In and Out of China: Over the last several years, access to online information about China has decreased, while censorship within the country has intensified. The government seeks to fill “the void with pro-China narratives.”
Human Rights Heist at the United Nations: China Media Project analyzes China’s strategy for shifting the human rights narrative at the UN’s Universal Periodic Review using NGOs under the control of the CCP, such as the China Society of Human Rights Studies.
2,000 new CCTV cameras ‘not enough,’ says Hong Kong police chief, does not rule out face detection function: In Hong Kong, 615 security cameras are set to be placed next month as part of a plan to add 2,000 new cameras by the end of 2024. At a press conference, the Commissioner of Police declined to rule out facial recognition capabilities for the new cameras.
International Responses 国际反应
Uyghur Policy Act passes US House: Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that will require the State Department to appoint a special coordinator for Uyghur issues and ensure that consulates in China staff at least one Uyghur-speaking foreign service officer. The same day, the House passed a bill asserting a clear policy on the boundaries of the Tibetan state and requiring anti-disinformation measures.
Volkswagen in Talks Over Future of Xinjiang Site as Pressure Mounts: Volkswagen has announced that it is “in talks…about the future direction of business activities in Xinjiang province,” following a report from an independent researcher who says he has found evidence of forced labor used at a test track in Turpan, Xinjiang. Volkswagen’s recent audit, which they said showed no evidence of forced labor, did not cover the track in question.
Related: Volkswagen Cars Blocked by US Customs Over Part From China.
Journal retracts over dozen ‘unethical’ genetic studies conducted in China on minority groups: Twelve studies on DNA from Chinese ethnic minorities, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, have been pulled form an American journal on genomics over concerns that the DNA was collected and published unethically, particularly noting the involvement of police in collecting the DNA. At least 50 articles remain under review.