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Important new research by @ipvideo (IPVM) showing a new surveillance system in China that targets journalists & foreign students among other “suspicious” people. Cameras that recognize people despite masks or glasses are linked to databases on individuals. https://t.co/MrmsO56age
— Margaret McCuaig-Johnston (@M_Johnston1) November 29, 2021
"The system will be operated by at least 2,000 officials and policemen, and specifies that journalists will be divided into three categories: red, yellow, green, in decreasing order of risk, according to the tender." https://t.co/itFicyCtvX
— Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅 (@ZeyiYang) November 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Security officials in one of China's largest provinces have commissioned a surveillance system they want to use to track journalists and international students among other 'suspicious people', documents reviewed by @Reuters show https://t.co/UGoRnJdpuT 1/6
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 29, 2021
Henan hated the flood coverage. Local officials love using national security excuses to hide environmental/pollution/industrial mistakes from central govt.
— Pete Sweeney (@petesweeneypro) November 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE Chinese province targets journalists, foreign students with new surveillance system https://t.co/Gpqav1SBjr
“The near-200 page tender document from the Henan Public Security Department does not give reasons why it wants to track journalists or international students.” https://t.co/6M4f2NUmdO
— Eric Hundman | 何諳銳 (@ehundman) November 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Documents seen by the BBC and Reuters reveal how Henan province in China is creating a surveillance system that will colour code journalists and others into risk groups:https://t.co/QbItu0qWOC
— James Clayton (@JamesClayton5) November 29, 2021
On the one hand, this gets at many of the techno-dystopian fears about the potential misuse of technology for authoritarian purposes one could imagine.
— William Nee (@williamnee) November 29, 2021
On the other (less serious) hand, is this even needed?
Try being a foreigner in Henan & see if you can walk around unnoticed! https://t.co/H7000CQHjs
Quite the @Reuters scoop - public procurement docs from Henan province (pop.99m) on a new surveillance system allowing police to track and control foreign journalists. From personal experience, can testify that Henan was already pretty aggressive at obstructing foreign media https://t.co/Ia2m1Qmkm6
— David Rennie 任大伟 (@DSORennie) November 29, 2021
"Warnings will be set off if a journalist while in Henan registers into a hotel, buys a ticket, or crosses the provincial border"
— Charles Rollet (@CharlesRollet1) November 29, 2021
"journalists will be divided into three categories: red, yellow, green, in decreasing order of risk" https://t.co/uGdOzGRgtl
China to enact surveillance system with face-scanning technology that detects journalists and other "people of concern", classifies them into a "traffic-light" system - green, amber, red. Journalists in the "red" category would be "dealt with accordingly" https://t.co/EZUSkN1EQA
— Alfons López Tena (@alfonslopeztena) November 29, 2021
Could be that existing systems are collecting the info, but haven't fully developed the back-end integrative or human capacity to analyze & use it. We got some indicators of that in this project on information integration. 6/n https://t.co/BwSUwyrp2w
— Sheena Chestnut Greitens (@SheenaGreitens) November 29, 2021
“…the tender was unique in specifying journalists as surveillance targets and providing a blueprint for public security authorities to quickly locate them and obstruct their work.” https://t.co/BQHuDuRPgA
— Jorge Guajardo (@jorge_guajardo) November 29, 2021
Language on "early warning mechanism" is pretty standard. Xi's been urging construction of a "multi-dimensional information-based system of prevention and control" for years now. But - interestingly - this suggests authorities *don't* think they're there yet. 4/n
— Sheena Chestnut Greitens (@SheenaGreitens) November 29, 2021
First, we know that China has had facial recognition in cameras for many years. Second, we know China has had a vast network of surveillance cameras in urban areas and increasing into rural areas for years. Third, by the transitive property and by databases we have obtained 2/n
— Professor Howitzer Balding 大老板 (@BaldingsWorld) November 29, 2021
I won't pretend to have read the whole document, but from skimming it, I would say that this isn't a 'non-story', but there's probably a lot of discussion of the wrong story.
— China Law Translate (@ChinaLawTransl8) November 29, 2021
https://t.co/SyzaNY3A1E
The system will include an alert when a “journalist of concern” books a travel ticket into the province, or is picked up by facial recognition technology.
— James Clayton (@JamesClayton5) November 29, 2021
I am at a bit of a loss that anyone still thinks a partnership with China at any level remains even remotely a good idea from a cultural, political, economic or supply chain point of view. https://t.co/b1skymIZly
— Peter Zeihan (@PeterZeihan) November 29, 2021
So politically, one of the interesting questions is why the existing surveillance infrastructure wasn't considered sufficient, & why it was necessary to procure a new/separate system focused on these actors. 5/n
— Sheena Chestnut Greitens (@SheenaGreitens) November 29, 2021
"While most of the Henan document refers to journalists, several segments specify 'foreign journalists'." https://t.co/BbuaGq8CG9
— Jimmy Quinn (@james_t_quinn) November 29, 2021
Named focus on foreign journalists & students is unusual; more typical to see generic references. Seems to have specifically followed tensions over foreign coverage of flooding last year, suggesting that this is reactive to specific incident: 3/n https://t.co/83hhkyb9A2
— Sheena Chestnut Greitens (@SheenaGreitens) November 29, 2021
sign of a healthy government/governing system https://t.co/3qzQ5l8gAX
— alex (@alex) November 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Documents seen by the BBC and Reuters reveal how Henan province in China is creating a surveillance system that will colour code journalists and others into risk groups:https://t.co/QbItu0qWOC
— James Clayton (@JamesClayton5) November 29, 2021
中国、ジャーナリスト監視に「信号機」システムを使っているらしい https://t.co/3EYHUltViK
— Les chroniqueurs (@chron1queurs) November 29, 2021
"... journalists will be divided into three categories: red, yellow, green, in decreasing order of risk ... Warnings will be set off if a journalist while in Henan registers into a hotel, buys a ticket, or crosses the provincial border"https://t.co/DrC8w4rD9Q
— Yuen Chan (@xinwenxiaojie) November 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE - Chinese province targets journalists, foreign students with planned new surveillance system, documents reviewed by Reuters showed https://t.co/aqmLgu4voi
— Reuters China (@ReutersChina) November 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE Chinese province targets journalists, foreign students with planned new surveillance system #China @Reuters https://t.co/PSHk1zXoh0
— James Pomfret (@jamespomfret) November 29, 2021
I am at a bit of a loss that anyone still thinks a partnership with China at any level remains even remotely a good idea from a cultural, political, economic or supply chain point of view. https://t.co/b1skymIZly
— Peter Zeihan (@PeterZeihan) November 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE Chinese province targets journalists, foreign students with planned new surveillance system https://t.co/JntHLkAtTm Henan
— Bill Bishop (@niubi) November 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE Chinese province targets journalists, foreign students with planned new surveillance system https://t.co/ccOmx7Sn3x
— Kris Cheng (@krislc) November 29, 2021
“Security officials in [Henan] one of China’s largest provinces have commissioned a surveillance system they say they want to use to track journalists and international students among other “suspicious people”.” https://t.co/S3ZTDEODxC
— Sari Arho Havrén (@SariArhoHavren) November 29, 2021
I see lots of people gasping outloud at this "exclusive" when it is really a great big yawn though I know journos wouldn't know or understand the difference. Let me explain 1/ https://t.co/F5oGD0ZOwt
— Professor Howitzer Balding 大老板 (@BaldingsWorld) November 29, 2021
Could it get any worse for foreigners in China? Let’s face it people, if you are not generating huge dollars for China or not a rabid CCP-sycophant, the Chinese government wants you gone. https://t.co/2PiD0r0nyl
— Dan Harris (@danharris) November 29, 2021