Chinese Public Security Accesses Personal Phones and SNS Without Warrants
Mass Police Deployment in Potential Protest Areas of Major Cities
On the 27th (local time), Chinese public security forces suppressed participants of an anti-'Zero COVID' policy protest held on a street in Shanghai. Photo by AP and Yonhap News.
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 29th (local time) that Chinese authorities have launched a massive crackdown on participants of the 'blank paper protests' against the COVID-19 lockdown policies.
According to the report, Chinese public security authorities have begun arresting protest participants through on-site photo and video evidence, messaging applications such as Telegram, social networking services (SNS), and mobile phone tracking.
From the 25th to the 27th, protests simultaneously took place across various parts of China including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Chengdu. Authorities started tracking participants after discovering that protesters exchanged messages via Telegram and SNS.
Although Telegram is blocked and inaccessible in China, it can be accessed using a virtual private network (VPN). However, since VPN use itself is illegal in China, users can be punished if caught.
According to WSJ, a university student who participated in the protest in Beijing on the 27th said he learned through his school that the police had tracked his movements via his mobile phone. The student was reportedly asked to write a statement explaining why he was at the protest site.
A 19-year-old student living in Zhejiang Province was summoned by the police for questioning just hours after stating in an SNS group chat that they would hold a blank paper protest. He said the police instructed him never to post such messages again, emphasizing to WSJ that "the Chinese authorities' control over press freedom has reached an unprecedented level."
Lawyer Wang Shengcheng, who provides legal support to protest participants, said he is in contact with at least 15 people who have been summoned and investigated by local police. He stated that Chinese police are likely using mobile phone and SNS account data to track protesters.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras equipped with facial recognition software are installed throughout major Chinese cities, and police can access individuals' mobile phones and SNS accounts without a warrant.
Public security authorities are making every effort to prevent any potential additional protests. In particular, they are deploying large numbers of police personnel to areas in major cities where protests are likely to occur, blocking citizen access.
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