Surveillance

Black blue and gray illustration of people coming out of phones

Spyware found on phones in Jordan

Hacking

According to a recent report, dozens of journalists, human rights workers and political activists in Jordan have been targeted with Pegasus spyware over the past few years. It’s one of the most widespread uses of spyware on civil society. Dina Temple-Raston, host and managing editor of the Recorded Future News podcast “Click Here,” has the story.

Graphic of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China’s tech weapons roll in to quell demonstrations, identify protesters

Free speech
This address is listed on an official police website back in China as an “Overseas Police Service Center,” but the locale appears abandoned. 

China has a police network that stretches across some 30 countries, NGO says

Global Politics
Law enforcement officials stand in front of an Operation Trojan Shield logo at a news conference

Global police sting raises questions on surveillance and privacy

Cybersecurity
Riot police detain a man during clashes in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece, March 11, 2021.

Greek police roll out new ‘smart’ devices that recognize faces and fingerprints

Technology
In this Oct. 31, 2019, file photo, attendees walk past a display for 5G services from Chinese technology firm Huawei at the PT Expo in Beijing.

China’s new Silk Road runs through cyberspace, worrying rivals and privacy advocates

On China's New Silk Road

China is fast becoming a global leader in cutting-edge technologies — such as artificial intelligence, facial recognition, surveillance and 5G. But critics say China’s technology enables authoritarian control and increases dependence on an autocratic state.

Workers in hard hats and construction vests walking by a fence.

How China uses malware to track Muslim Uighurs, even if they’ve fled the country

Conflict & Justice

A new report found that Chinese surveillance of Uighurs started much earlier and is more comprehensive than previously thought. The World speaks to security researcher Apurva Kumar, one of the report’s co-authors.

Four people with painted faces stand in front of a street sign with a camera on it.

London’s Dazzle Club uses makeup to protest police use of facial recognition technology

Technology

London is already one of the most surveilled cities in the world with around 420,000 CCTV cameras in operation. Yet London police are pushing ahead with plans to implement the facial recognition technology across the city. The Dazzle Club, led by four artists, dons camouflage make-up and leads a silent public walk once a month in protest of live facial recognition police cameras in London.

SenseTime surveillance software identifying details about people and vehicles showing the information layered on top of the screen.

From laboratory in far west, China’s surveillance state spreads quietly

Government procurement documents of surveillance technologies collected by Reuters offer a rare glimpse into the numbers behind China’s push to arm security forces with high-tech monitoring tools as the government clamps down on dissent.

Art Guard

Arts, Culture & Media

Meet the guy at the other end of that security camera. Bob Rini is a security guard at Seattle’s Henry Art Museum. He spends his days watching people who are watching art. Then he goes home and makes art. Produced by Harriet Baskas.