At a time of tension between the United Kingdom and the Chinese Communist Party, a database recently revealed that British officials, business tycoons and even tourists have been placed on a security watch list by the Chinese Communist Party police. The existence and breadth of the database, which appears to be collecting information on the identity of every incoming international visitor, has caused further alarm in the UK.
The Telegraph reported on March 31 that it had obtained a snapshot of a database with data collected primarily over a six-month period in 2018, including details on 150 British citizens among international visitors, in addition to files on 7,600 Uighur Muslims.
The information came from the servers of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, which in turn is responsible for reporting to the central Ministry of Public Security. Internet2.0, the cybersecurity consulting firm that obtained the database and analyzed its contents, said it found 1.1 million records that provide “a highly detailed window into the state of Chinese Communist Party surveillance.
“In its report, Internet2.0 said, “The system provided new insights into how the CCP tracks dissidents. Overlapping policing strategies are implemented, which include criminal mandates on politics and standards, and attempts to use data on foreigners entering the country and companies.”
“Internet 2.0” adds, “This dataset further deepens our understanding of how the CCP operates and conducts surveillance. The system contains more detailed information than we have seen before, and the system draws on larger systems that are far more advanced in scope and scale than those in democratic countries.”
It is unclear how the names on the list were selected and uploaded to the database, or whether the list is just one snapshot of all the data.
British intelligence usually only adds people to “watch” lists if they are suspected of being terrorists or accused of other serious crimes, but there is no material on foreign visitors or residents.
According to Internet 2.0’s analysis, the database includes the identity of foreigners, as well as facial and license plate recognition systems. It also shows “target tracking,” where individuals deemed to be a threat to China’s security are monitored and tracked.
The database has raised alarm about the Chinese Communist Party. Sam Armstrong, a spokesman for the Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a British think tank, said the society has highlighted concerns about Chinese intelligence gathering. But political and business leaders have been deluding themselves that CCP surveillance and persecution of Uighurs is a distant problem, when it is now clearly demonstrated that the UK needs to significantly increase protection and advice for anyone associated with the CCP or visiting China.
In mainland China, the CCP’s Ministry of Public Security, with its two million police officers and extensive network of branches, does far more than an ordinary police force.
Samantha Hoffman, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), an Australian think tank, said. “The Ministry of Public Security, they’re not just police, they’re also there to protect the party state, and Xi Jinping has made it clear …… that ultimately, the Ministry of Public Security is loyal to the Communist Party of China and must be loyal to the party.”
Experts say it is unclear how long agencies like the Ministry of Public Security and its local area network would keep such data, possibly indefinitely.
Britain’s intelligence service, Military Intelligence Section 5 (MI5), has obtained the files and is conducting a related investigation.
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