US tech companies enabled the surveillance and detention of hundreds of thousands in China
American technology companies have significantly contributed to China’s vast surveillance network, enabling the monitoring and detention of thousands, as revealed by an Associated Press investigation.
“Every move in my own home is monitored,” said Yang Guoliang, a farmer from Jiangsu province, whose family faces constant surveillance due to their resistance against local land seizures. Their home is surrounded by cameras, and their communications and movements are tracked, often preempting their attempts to petition in Beijing.
The investigation, based on thousands of leaked documents, shows U.S. firms like Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Cisco, Oracle and others supplied critical technology for China’s “Golden Shield” system, designed to censor and control dissent.
These systems, incorporating predictive policing, analyze data from texts to DNA, targeting groups like Uyghurs in Xinjiang, where mass detentions have occurred. Despite U.S. export controls, companies marketed tools for “stability maintenance,” directly aiding Chinese police. Researcher Valentin Weber noted,
“Everything was built on American tech,”
While some firms later cut ties amid human rights concerns, their technology laid the foundation for China’s surveillance, which continues to restrict citizens.