Tech

US tech enabled China’s surveillance empire. Now Tibetan refugees are paying the price

Nepal is just one of at least 150 countries to which Chinese companies are supplying surveillance technology

China developing AI surveillance systems in minority languages, has launched a Tibetan large language model

(TibetanReview.net, Dec03’25) – The Chinese government is developing AI systems in the languages of the ethnic minorities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to expand state surveillance and control, an Australian think tank has warned Dec 1. In...

Chinese DeepSeek-R1 AI Generates Insecure Code When Prompts Mention Tibet or Uyghurs

New research from CrowdStrike has revealed that DeepSeek's artificial intelligence (AI) reasoning model DeepSeek-R1 produces more security vulnerabilities in response to prompts that contain topics deemed politically sensitive by China. "We found that when DeepSeek-R1 receives prompts containing topics...

We Say You Want a Revolution: PRISONBREAK – An AI-Enabled Influence Operation Aimed at Overthrowing the Iranian Regime

We investigate a coordinated network of inauthentic X accounts that is spreading AI-generated content to induce revolt in Iran. The network has been active since 2023, but increased activity during the Iran-Israel conflict in June 2025.

The American TikTok deal doesn’t address the platform’s potential for manipulation, only who profits

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order approving a deal that allows U.S. businesspeople to acquire ownership of TikTok.

China’s state-sponsored hackers use fake Dalai Lama apps to spy on Tibetan community

Tsering Dhundup DHARAMSHALA, Aug 4: Hackers tied to China carried out two cyber espionage campaigns targeting the Tibetan community in the weeks leading up to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6, 2025, according to new...

Hackers, secret cables and security fears: The explosive fight over the UK's new Chinese embassy

It will be the biggest embassy in Europe, if approved. But its opponents fear it brings with it certain risks and dangers

TibCERT Exposes Chinese Surveillance Attack on Tibetan Leader in Exile

By Tenzin Chokyi DHARAMSALA, 30th July: In a concerning development, cybersecurity experts have revealed that the People's Republic of China(PRC) is now using advanced cellular network attacks to monitor and intimidate high-ranking Tibetan leaders in exile.

First cell-phone network cyberattack on Tibetan leader detected

By Tsering Dhundup DHARAMSHALA, July 28: The Tibetan Computer Emergency Readiness Team (TibCERT) has uncovered the first known cell-phone network-level cyberattack targeting a high-ranking Tibetan leader in exile. The incident, detailed in a report released on July 28, marks a...

China-Linked Hackers Target Tibetans with Fake Dalai Lama Apps

Chinese hackers deploy fake Dalai Lama birthday apps to spy on Tibetan community using Gh0st RAT and PhantomNet malware in two cyberattacks.

Cellular Network Attack

On March 14, 2025, we were contacted with a request from a high-level Tibetan functionary, who reported receiving multiple abnormal roaming messages from his cellular provider stating “Welcome to China”.

China-Based APTs Deploy Fake Dalai Lama Apps to Spy on Tibetan Community

The Tibetan community has been targeted by a China-nexus cyber espionage group as part of two campaigns conducted last month ahead of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday on July 6, 2025. The multi-stage attacks have been codenamed Operation GhostChat...

Chinese Hackers Target Tibetans With Malware Masquerade

China-linked hack.ers use Tibetan-themed lures to deploy malware, exploiting key events and evading detection with advanced techniques.

The PRC Transnational Repression Efforts: Influence, Interference, and Legitimacy

On June 9, join the Citizen Lab’s Emile Dirks to discuss China’s influence, interference, and repression in Canada.

‘Alarming’ rise in regional internet censorship in China, study finds

Tens of millions of internet users in China’s Henan denied access to five times more websites than usualChina’s authorities appear to have implemented an enhanced version of the country’s internet censorship regime in the central province of Henan, subjecting...

Weaponized Words: Uyghur Language Software Hijacked to Deliver Malware

Our investigation of a spearphishing campaign that targeted senior members of the World Uyghur Congress in March 2025 reveals a highly-customized attack delivery method. The ruse used by attackers replicates a pattern in which threat actors weaponize software and...

Spoofed Apps and Mobile Spyware: A Hidden Threat to the Tibetan Community

This article highlights the ongoing threat of spyware targeting Tibetan communities through spoofed mobile apps. It breaks down how tools like BADBAZAAR and MOONSHINE operate, which apps have been weaponized, and how users can spot and respond to potential...

China Buddhist Association: A Trojan Horse of Chinese Propaganda

Naïve Buddhists in democratic countries believe they are conducting genuine inter-Buddhist dialogue with a group that exists to advance CCP interests. The post China Buddhist Association: A Trojan Horse of Chinese Propaganda first appeared on Bitter Winter.

New cyber ops centre in Tibet expands China’s digital and transnational repression capability

(TibetanReview.net, Apr17’25) – China is greatly strengthening the digital offensive capability of its police force in Tibet, with a state-owned digital forensics firm providing an offensive cyber operations training environment and digital forensic laboratory to the Tibet Police College...

Chinese firm tied to Uyghur rights abuses now training Tibet police on hacking techniques

The digital forensics company known as Meiya Pico won a contract in mid-2023 to build two labs at the Tibet Police College: one on offensive and defensive cyber techniques and the other on electronic evidence collection and analysis.

JUICYJAM: How Thai Authorities Use Online Doxxing to Suppress Dissent

A sustained, coordinated social media harassment and doxxing campaign – which we codenamed JUICYJAM – targeting the pro-democracy movement in Thailand has run uninterrupted, and unchallenged, since at least August 2020. Through our analysis of public social media posts...

Chinese police ensnaring Tibetans over phone and internet activity, Human Rights Watch says

Dozens of people in Tibet have been arrested by Chinese authorities in recent years for "simply using a cellphone," according to the nonprofit Human Rights Watch.

RedNote: Your Data's Secret Journey to China? The Hidden Risks You Need to Know.

Discover the rising popularity of RedNote, often dubbed 'China's Instagram,' and the critical user safety concerns surrounding its data handling, potential government influence, and censorship practices.

Spyware Threatens Taiwan, Tibetan Activists, Say Western Agencies

Western agencies warn China uses spyware to target Taiwan, Tibet activists via malware apps, posing risks to human rights defenders and journalists.

China-linked spyware targeting communities deemed threat to CCP: Advisory by global cybersecurity agencies

Tsering Dhundup DHARAMSHALA, April 10: Global cybersecurity agencies have issued a joint advisory warning about sophisticated spyware targeting individuals and communities connected to Tibet, Taiwan, East Turkestan and Falun Gong. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), in collaboration with...