HRIC Weekly Brief
February 25, 2025
Top News 头条
New revelations have emerged regarding China’s use of AI and other advanced technologies to extend its surveillance outside its borders. On Friday, OpenAI reported that it had discovered an AI-powered surveillance tool, built by a Chinese security operation, that was being used to “gather real-time reports about anti-Chinese posts on social media services in Western countries.” The tool was discovered when a developer used an OpenAI model to debug some of its code. According to another new report, China’s rapid advancements in quantum computing could allow the government to bypass encryption in the future. As HRIC Executive Director Zhou Fengsuo told RFA, these high-tech advancements “make fine-tuned control of population a reality that could never have been achieved by traditional methods.”
Meanwhile in Beijing, preparations for the central government’s annual parliamentary sessions include raids on nearby cities to detain citizens who have tried to bring grievances to the attention of the authorities through official channels, often referred to as “petitioners.” These so-called “stability maintenance” measures are intended to temporarily lock up anyone who may try to bring negative information to the attention of the central government.
In Hong Kong, the city’s oldest pro-democracy party, the Democratic party, has announced that they plan to disband due to the “overall political environment in Hong Kong,” pending a final vote by the members. One former legislator said the development came as a shock, as there was “no sign there was no enthusiasm or money” as of December 2024.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
Remedy vs. Time: Proposed Retroactivity Rules for China’s “Recording and Review” Process: Changhao Wei discusses China’s “recording and review” process for resolving legislative conflicts, and proposes a retroactivity framework that lays out a few, specific situations in which a review decision that results in rejecting a document should retroactively apply to final cases.
Personal Information Protection Audits in China: Final Measures Effective May 1: The Cyberspace Administration of China has issued a finalized set of requirements for companies to undergo a mandatory personal information protection audit.
Hong Kong seeks to tighten labour union laws on national security grounds: Proposed amendments to the Trade Unions Ordinance would “permanently bar those convicted of national security offences from serving in labour unions and…require all foreign funding to be vetted by the authorities.”
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
How AI is Tested for Loyalty: Chinese AI models are tested on domestic evaluation benchmarks that “reflect a broad consensus within the community about what AI models need to know to correctly discuss China’s political system in Chinese.” These tests use Chinese civil service questions and specific questions on CCP ideology to ensure that LLM models conform to Beijing’s expectations.
DeepSeek 'shared user data' with TikTok owner ByteDance: South Korea’s data protection regulator says that DeepSeek has been sharing user data with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, in China.
Chinese hackers got into Republican email system during campaign and spied for months before being caught: The breach was discovered by Microsoft in July 2024, who warned the U.S. Republican National Committee (RNC) that the hackers had had access for months, and were seeking information on the party’s stance on Taiwan. RNC officials and Trump’s campaign co-chair chose not to alert the FBI of the breach.
Mosaics of Insight: Auditing TikTok Through Independent Data Access: Regardless of who owns TikTok, LawFare contributors argue, independent researchers need greater access to its data and algorithms in order to understand when and how the app may be used for propaganda and influence.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
Leaked CCP Files Expose Global Crackdown on Dissent: Leaked official documents reveal that the Chinese government has engaged in a systemic, global campaign to simultaneously discredit Falun Gong-associated organizations and exert legal pressure to silence them, while avoiding ever acknowledging Falun Gong’s existence. The campaign seems to stem from orders given by Xi Jinping in 2022 to “completely, and on an international scale, suppress Falun Gong’s momentum.”
Taiwan severs academic ties with Chinese universities, citing propaganda links: Taiwan has forbidden its universities from working with several specific Chinese schools over their ties to the United Front Work Department, China’s overseas propaganda department.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
Hong Kong taxi group halts strike plan after city’s leader warned against ‘drastic action’: A Hong Kong taxi union called off plans for a five-day strike in protest of unlicensed ride-hailing services after Chief Executive John Lee discouraged “drastic action” and said that the taxi union should “express their views rationally.”
Hong Kong university student union axes Burmese film screening, citing last-minute gov’t warning: The New Asia College Students’ Union at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said they would not be able to show the film “MA – Cry of Silence” about a young Burmese woman’s “intellectual and political growth” due to a warning from the authorities, who said they had received a complaint that the film did not have the mandatory “certificate of approval.” Under Hong Kong’s Film Censorship Ordinance, each new screening of any film reportedly requires a separate approval.
Hong Kong ex-lawmaker Albert Ho may plead guilty in subversion case against Tiananmen vigil group: Ho, a former member of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China along with lawyer Chow Hang-tung, previously pleaded not guilty but has indicated to the judge that he intends to change his plea and is in contact with the prosecution.
Hong Kong condemns ‘unfounded smear’ after wanted ex-lawmaker Ted Hui slams HK$800,000 assets seizure: The Hong Kong authorities confiscated HK$800,000, equivalent to US$102,907, in assets held by Ted Hui’s mother, wife, and a law firm representing him, all still in Hong Kong. The seizure occurred pursuant to a court order under the 2020 National Security Law.
Verdict for Jimmy Lai’s nat. security trial expected in October, Apple Daily’s liquidation proceeding to follow: A judge has confirmed the expected timeline for Jimmy Lai’s trial.
Related: 香港传媒大亨黎智英狱中病重，民主人士发起“声援黎智英”全球活动 [Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is seriously ill in prison. Democrats launch a global campaign to "support Jimmy Lai"]. Protestors gathered outside Chinese consulates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, and the Chinese embassy in Washington DC, to advocate for Lai’s release.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
A former China correspondent examines identity and control under Xi: Emily Feng discusses her experience reporting in China since 2015, specifically the ways in which the state has sought to restrict diversity of thought—yet, many different voices remain.
China's Motivational Tactic for State Workers: Public Shaming: Local governments have started giving out “snail awards” to employees who perform below expectations. However, many would rather underperform than risk being targeted for doing the wrong thing.
International Responses 国际反应
EU ‘deeply concerned’ over ‘narrowing space’ for Hong Kong civil society, as local gov’t urges against interference: “The European Union urges the Hong Kong authorities to protect the ability of the people of Hong Kong to exercise their rights,” said an EU spokesperson in response to increasing pressures on journalists, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, the Democratic party, and other civil society groups.