Chinese province with Muslim minority asks citizens to install surveillance app

Image: INQUIRER.net stock photo

The Chinese government is known for having strict policies about the internet and the apps that its citizens use. Now, it’s requiring an app to be installed to keep tabs on the Muslim populace.

A report by Chinese news outlet Radio Free Asia via India Times stated that authorities in Xinjian province in China are requiring its citizens to install the Jingwang app as a way to report suspicious incidents to the police.

Xinjiang province is home to around 8 million Uighurs, a Turkish ethnic minority group that has a history of grievances about oppression from the Chinese government.

The notice to install the app was sent via the messaging app WeChat. It also included a QR code for downloading Jingwang.

Jingwang’s features include the detection of illegal religious videos, images, e-books and documents on the device it is installed on. It will also keep a copy of WeChat and Weibo chat records, the device’s IMEI number, SIM card data and WiFi login data. This information is then sent to a server for filtering.

To ensure that people comply, spot checks will be conducted on the citizens’ smartphones and tablets.

While the purpose of the app is meant to promote security, it is argued that some members of the Uighur people of Xinjian province may see the Jingwang app as another form of oppression from the Chinese government. Alfred Bayle/JB

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