China Has Weaponized The Smartphone: Here’s Why You Should Be Concerned

The smartphone is a revolutionary tool, on par with, and perhaps surpassing even the automobile. But each one of those computers in our pockets holds lots of valuable information and if certain authorities (not to mention private organizations) can access it, they will.

(From Forbes)

Xinjiang authorities had commissioned their own mobile app to access the Integrated Joint Operations Platform (IJOP), a surveillance platform that packages multiple data sources on the region’s subjugated population. It’s a neat concept if you’re a surveillance state—take every data source you can think of—communication and travel records, hits from facial recognition cameras, utilities usage, engagement with neighbours, comings and goings from places of residence—and then use AI to flag deviations, predictive policing for the small screen.