ICYMI: Johnson Reminds Americans of the CCP’s Surveillance
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) asked witnesses about the surveillance tactics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Select Committee on the CCP Hearing on the ongoing Uyghur Genocide.
Click here or on the image above to watch the line of questioning.
Johnson’s line of questioning:
Johnson: First, Gulbahar Haitiwaji, thank you. You have reinforced trust the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in systemic acts of pure and unadulterated evil, thank you. Secondly, Mr. Chairman I ask unanimous consent to show a short video from The Economist which displays the terrifyingly Orwellian surveillance state that the CCP has assembled to control the Uyghur people.
Ms. Kikoler, is that an accurate representation?
Ms. Naomi Kikoler: I would argue for part of the Uyghur community the situation is even more dire. You can't walk more than 500 meters without having your face scanned. As to our speakers before mentioned, for too many Uyghur families they have a member of the Han community living within their homes. They are being surveilled through human surveillance and through high-tech surveillance. So, it is an Orwellian system. It’s one where you can simply not escape being followed and any moment. Right now, as we celebrate Ramadan, merely observing a holiday would be grounds for person to be detained. Every single Uyghur in this room has family members detained.
Johnson: That video is just the tip of the iceberg. Is it accurate to say that American investors and firms are providing Chinese technology firms the resources they need to develop high-tech surveillance and control tools?
Dr. Adrian Zenz: Yes, they have done so and, in some ways, still do. In some ways it's already too late because the Chinese are already on the cutting edge of doing so.
Johnson: Is it accurate to say these surveillance tools as the Chinese Communist Party perfects them, using them to repress the Uyghur people, could be used to surveilled Americans?
Chairman Nory Turkel: Absolutely. That's one of the effective tools that they use to make us compromise our personal information, privacy. And threaten our sovereignty. They will also affect democratic norms. We see signs in Zimbabwe, in a country where they are using technology to monitor oppositional leaders. That would be the new norm China is trying to create.
Johnson: You talk about Uyghur people being forced to put apps that spy on their devices. I would let everyone know, some of you probably already know, that TikTok has changed its U.S. privacy policy allowing the app to automatically collect new types of data including what it describes as face prints and voice prints. Is it possible that the use high-tech surveillance tools are already on American phones?
Turkel: Yes, that is a spying tool for the Chinese state. They can collect data, personal videos, pictures, communications. People argue that our social media companies do that as well, but that’s for commercial purpose. What the Chinese are doing, whatever data they have is valuable data for advancing AI technology.
Johnson: You reminded us that surveillance on a phone is nothing like the kind of heart-wrenching atrocities that are committed to millions of Uyghur people every day. But I would remind Americans that this is not just a problem over there, it's a problem here. Americans need to get TikTok off their phones. I yield back.