Heather Zeiger

sunset on a yurt , in the grassland of Mongolia

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post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
September 28, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Education, Global Technology, Social Media, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
Bainuu, China, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Cultural genocide, Culture, education, Featured, Inner Mongolia, Language, Mongolia, Schools, Southern Mongolia, Xi Jinping}

High-Tech Suppression of China’s Mongol Region Provokes Protests

_{But Mongolian protesters against Chinese-dominated schools are threatened with loss of social credit, which means no jobs or loans} _{Heather Zeiger

September 28, 2020

8

Artificial Intelligence, Education, Global Technology, Social Media, Surveillance, Technocracy}

China is removing the Mongolian language and culture from the curriculum and textbooks in Inner Mongolia (see outline map), an autonomous region in China. In August, leaked government documents showed that language and literature, civics, and history will be taught in Mandarin rather than Mongolian in schools where Mongolian is the primary language. Additionally, the new textbooks replace stories about historic Mongolian heroes with Chinese ballads and expunge a popular folk verse that expresses pride in the Mongolian culture and language. In response, many parents in Inner Mongolia (called Southern Mongolia locally) have been keeping their children from attending school on September 1. In retaliation, state authorities threaten their jobs and social credit status: Southern Mongolia has quickly become a Read More ›

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
September 19, 2020

Categorized
Ethics, Global Technology, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, censorship, China, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Disney, Featured, Jeannette Ng, Liu Yifei, Max Brooks, Mulan (film), Turpan, Uyghurs, World War Z (film), Ziba Murat}

Mulan: Disney Talks Freedom at Home, Toes the Line in China

_{Films we see get altered in subtle and not-so-subtle ways to conform to the requirements of CCP propaganda} _{Heather Zeiger

September 19, 2020

10

Ethics, Global Technology, Technocracy}

China’s government allows only about thirty-four Hollywood movies to be shown in Chinese theaters. As a result, entertainment companies like Disney go out of their way to make sure a film appeals to both North American crowds and Chinese Communist Party’s censors. Of course, what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allows and doesn’t allow in films is vague and subject to change, which keeps foreign film-makers guessing. Mulan, Disney’s latest attempt to please both the North American and the Chinese market, has failed to do either, for a number of reasons. Financially, Disney is already hurting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Theaters in the U.S. either remain closed or permit only limited-capacity seating. In response, Disney released Mulan on its streaming Read More ›

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
August 26, 2020

Categorized
Data Privacy, Global Technology, Social Media, Surveillance

Tagged
___longform, bias, ByteDance, China, Featured, Intercept (publication), Michael Schuman, TikTok, Virtual eugenics, Zhang Yiming}

Why Some Nation States Are Banning TikTok

_{The United States is not alone in questioning the social medium’s allegiance to the Chinese government} _{Heather Zeiger

August 26, 2020

10

Data Privacy, Global Technology, Social Media, Surveillance}

Why is TikTok so controversial? It’s the first Chinese technology company that has reached a billion users outside of China. Its main demographic is Generation Z—teens and twenty-somethings. If you take a look at TikTok videos, most are goofy and irreverent. They’re frenetic shorts of everything from fashion tips to pranks and, of course, (bad) dancing. TikTok’s stated mission is to “inspire creativity and bring joy.” What could go wrong? Here’s what. Working with China, as Disney and the NBA can attest, comes with certain strings attached, including acquiescing to the Chinese Communist Party’s rules for acceptable speech. Because ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is a Chinese company (although partly owned by investors from the U.S. and Japan), the Chinese Communist Read More ›

Binary code with China flag, data protection concept

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
July 30, 2020

Categorized
Surveillance

Tagged
China, Christopher Wray, COVID-19, Cybercrime, Cyberespionage, David Bowdich, Featured, Gilead Sciences, hacking, Iran, Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi, Made in China 2025, Russia}

Charges Reveal Extent of China-Sponsored Hacking in the West

_{Targets have included COVID-19 labs, dissidents, and religious groups} _{Heather Zeiger

July 30, 2020

7

Surveillance}

What’s new about the most recent indictment is the acknowledgment that China is working with known cybercriminals. Read More ›

iron chain and castle on the silk national flag of Hong Kong with beautiful folds, the concept of a ban on tourism, political repression, crime, violation of the rights and freedoms of citizens

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
July 9, 2020

Categorized
Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, Apple (company), China, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Facebook, Featured, Google, Great Firewall, Hong Kong, Hong Kong National Security Law, Instagram, Microsoft, Telegram, Tik Tok, Twitter, WhatsApp, Zoom}

Hong Kong: Tech Companies Face Serious Ethical Decisions

_{As Hong Kong is transformed into a police state, Western companies, faced with demands for snitching on users, are rethinking cozy relationships with China} _{Heather Zeiger

July 9, 2020

7

Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy}

The semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong is no longer semi-autonomous, at least in practice. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), circumventing Hong Kong’s parliament and courts, passed the Hong Kong National Security Law on June 30 that effectively abolishes the “one country, two systems” regime outlined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The law was passed one day before the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China (July 1, 1997), in time to quash any pro-democracy candidates who would likely win in the September elections. Although the CCP justifies its moves from the Hong Kong Basic Law and claims that Hong Kong will maintain autonomy, in practice, it has already arrested dissidents and formed a secretive agency called the Office Read More ›

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
July 2, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, Alipay, China, COVID-19, Health Code (China)}

China’s Health Code App: One More Way to Track Citizens

_{Heather Zeiger

July 2, 2020

7

Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy}

For the Chinese Communist Party, SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus) has provided an opportunity to expand its massive surveillance system. The current extensive network of facial recognition cameras has left some gaps. People could avoid recognition, for example, by wearing a face covering to curb the spread of a respiratory illness. Now, China is looking to fill those gaps by keeping the Alipay Health Code app, launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a mainstay for its citizens: Compared to omnipresent facial recognition software and other surveillance systems in China, the health code mechanism covers more people and collects a broader range of personal information. The state can also impose stricter control as people now have to use health codes Read More ›

Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) Between Trees Looks Up and to Right Winter - captive animal

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
June 18, 2020

Categorized
Global Technology, Social Media

Tagged
___longform, China, COVID-19, Diplomacy, Featured, Twitter, Wolf Warriors}

The Age of the Wolf Warrior: China’s Post-Pandemic Strategy

_{The younger diplomats take their cue from a Chinese Rambo-style movie and the rewritten history they learned at school} _{Heather Zeiger

June 18, 2020

8

Global Technology, Social Media}

While countries around the world have been dealing with the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), China has claimed disputed areas in the South China Sea, taken over the Hong Kong government, and flown planes over Taiwan. One result was a standoff between warships from the U.S., Australia, and China. A 2016 international tribunal in The Hague ruled that China has no legal sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. China, saying that the ruling was void, claims areas that are also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Japan. The Chinese Liberation Army has also increased the number of troops at its border with India (the Line of Actual Control) disputed since the Sino-Indian war in 1962 (below Read More ›

medical statistics and graphic charts with stethoscope

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
May 26, 2020

Categorized
Mathematics, Medicine and Health, Social Media

Tagged
___longform, 91-DIVOC, COVID-19, Featured, Statistics}

Making Sense of the Numbers Behind COVID-19

_{Media and politicians put statistics before us to sway our opinions. But what do they really mean?} _{Heather Zeiger

May 26, 2020

9

Mathematics, Medicine and Health, Social Media}

Numbers can frighten or enlighten. The secret is making them explain themselves. Here’s a quick primer.

cybercrime, hacking and technology concept - male hacker with headphones and coding on laptop computer screen wiretapping or using computer virus program for cyber attack in dark room

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
May 20, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Global Technology, Surveillance

Tagged
China, COVID-19, Cyber espionage, Economic espionage, espionage, hacking, Industrial espionage, Intellectual Property, United Nations, United States, World Health Organization (WHO)}

The New Cyber Cold War with China

_{Cybersecurity strategist Peter Singer told Wired that there has never been a better time than the COVID-19 pandemic to be a government hacker} _{Heather Zeiger

May 20, 2020

6

Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Global Technology, Surveillance}

The United States has formally accused China of both funding and operating cells of hackers who infiltrate research labs working on responses to COVID-19.

COVID-19 coronavirus in China, renminbi yuan money bill with face mask. COVID global stock market. World economy hit by corona virus outbreak. Financial crisis and coronavirus pandemic concept.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
April 23, 2020

Categorized
Global Technology, Medicine and Health

Tagged
___longform, China, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Featured, Journalists, Medical doctors, Wuhan}

COVID-19: Getting to the Bottom of What Happened in China

_{China knowingly violated the terms of a World Health Organization (WHO) disclosure agreement} _{Heather Zeiger

April 23, 2020

14

Global Technology, Medicine and Health}

It is widely recognized that medical professionals and journalists in China are being silenced if they publish any information about COVID-19 that contradicts the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s official narrative. But now mainland Chinese scientists must ensure that their research publications also toe the CCP party line. If we sift carefully, however, we can uncover real information.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
April 5, 2020

Categorized
Ethics, Global Technology, Social Media, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, China, COVID-19, Featured, Twitterbots}

The Dragon’s Deception: Conspiracy Theories and False Numbers

_{China’s global attempt to rewrite the history of coronavirus (COVID-19) is running up against incriminating evidence} _{Heather Zeiger

April 5, 2020

8

Ethics, Global Technology, Social Media, Technocracy}

The Chinese Communist Party has touted the superiority of an authoritarian government over a democratic one in handling the virus outbreak. But American intelligence sources say that it was the punishment that local officials might receive from the authoritarian system that led to the initial coverup of the outbreak.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
March 19, 2020

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, China, COVID-19, media}

China: Rewriting the History of COVID-19

_{Making the government the improbable hero of the tale} _{Heather Zeiger

March 19, 2020

9

Ethics, Medicine and Health, Technocracy}

Chinese scientists worked together swiftly and seamlessly to sequence the virus, (completed February 25), even as the government was downplaying the extent of the problem and silencing doctors who attempted to warn colleagues and the public. The Wuhan public erupted in anger when the government demanded a show of gratitude for its efforts rather than theirs.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
March 16, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Education, Surveillance, Work

Tagged
China, DingTalk, Employees, Productivity, Slack, Students}

DingTalk: Where the “Teacher” Really Is Always Watching You

_{The COVID-19 quarantine has spiked both virtual workplaces and classrooms in China, highlighting anger at the surveillance} _{Heather Zeiger

March 16, 2020

6

Artificial Intelligence, Education, Surveillance, Work}

Every human being, whether office worker or high school student, bucks against digital harnesses.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 26, 2020

Categorized
Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
China, Karakax List, Uyghurs, Xinjiang}

China: Sophisticated Surveillance Decides Who Gets Sent to Uyghur Camps

_{The leak of documents from police in Karakax County in Xinjiang reveal the details of everyday life that can send a Uyghur to the camps} _{Heather Zeiger

February 26, 2020

8

Surveillance, Technocracy}

The tracking app used by the police aggregates all of the data of people living in Xinjiang. Based on the parameters, or “micro-clues” that police put in the app, prompts the user to collect additional details or determines whether that person should be detained. This could include “not socializing with neighbors, often avoiding using the front door,” or using more electricity than others.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 11, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Surveillance

Tagged
___longform, censorship, China, Coronavirus, Li Wenliang}

Coronavirus in a World Without Trust

_{In China, medical heroism thrives despite both paranoia and justified mistrust of authorities} _{Heather Zeiger

February 11, 2020

10

Medicine and Health, Surveillance}

While China’s citizens are living in an information vacuum, the government has stepped up its surveillance strategies in order to track people who have been near someone infected with the coronavirus. Some commentators consider these measures disproportionate to the actual risk posed to others and in violation of human rights. Others see them as necessary.

Rest in Peace Posters of Dr Li Wenliang, who warned authorities about the coronovirus outbreak seen at Hosier Lane in Melbourne, Australia. Hosier Lane is known for its street art.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 1, 2020

Categorized
Global Technology, Medicine and Health, Social Media, Surveillance

Tagged
___longform, censorship, China, Coronavirus, Featured, Quarantine}

Censorship? But Coronavirus Doesn’t Care!

_{Back when SARS was a threat, social media wasn’t the giant it is today. Censorship, secrecy, and detention are less effective tools of control now} _{Heather Zeiger

February 1, 2020

10

Global Technology, Medicine and Health, Social Media, Surveillance}

Coronavirus provides a test. The Chinese Communist Party offers mainland Chinese people security and prosperity in exchange for the sacrifice of personal freedom. But when the government cannot uphold its end of the agreement—security—the people may become less tolerant of the human rights violations. And the age of information makes it much easier to discover them.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
January 18, 2020

Categorized
Global Technology, Social Media, Surveillance

Tagged
___longform, China, Featured, Freedom of the press, Hong Kong, Journalists, Taiwan}

Can a Totalitarian State Be an Information Society?

_{Beijing’s clumsy social media campaigns against democracy in Hong Kong and Taiwan have failed but attempts to control local media are ramping up} _{Heather Zeiger

January 18, 2020

11

Global Technology, Social Media, Surveillance}

Xi believes that the Western values of a free press, free speech, and separation of powers contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union and that China must avoid them so as not to succumb to the same fate. But the Soviet Union fell just before the internet became today’s information superhighway.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
January 14, 2020

Categorized
Surveillance

Tagged
___longform, censorship, China, Featured, Journalists, media}

Serious Media In China Have Gone Strangely Silent

_{With a compulsory new app, the government can potentially access journalists’ phones, both for surveillance and capturing data} _{Heather Zeiger

January 14, 2020

9

Surveillance}

Liu Hu sums up the scene in a few words: “Outside of China, journalists are fired for writing false reports… Inside China, they are fired for telling the truth.”

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
December 26, 2019

Categorized
Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
___longform, China, DNA phenotyping, Featured, Uighurs, Uyghurs}

China: DNA Phenotyping Profiles Racial Minorities

_{In the United States, targeting minorities means political pushback; in China, no such discussion is allowed} _{Heather Zeiger

December 26, 2019

7

Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy}

While there is some merit to the idea that the population of a particular geographic region will have similar DNA patterns, this science comes with a host of assumptions that, when taken too far, crosses the line into pseudoscience.

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Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
December 3, 2019

Categorized
Global Technology, Surveillance

Tagged
___longform, Belt and Road, Central Asia, China, Featured, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan}

Why China Leans Hard on Central Asia

_{The region is critical to China’s ambitions, hence the generous offers of state-of-the-art surveillance technology} _{Heather Zeiger

December 3, 2019

11

Global Technology, Surveillance}

Where is all of the data going and where is it stored? The short answer is China. The Central Asian countries’ current laws do not adequately protect their citizens’ privacy. In fact, most countries in the world do not have adequate laws to deal with the potential harms of facial recognition technology.