Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#BringThemBack #Save12HKYouths
US State Secretary Condemns China for Turning Hong Kong into the East Berlin
December 21, 2020 is the Winter Solstice which symbolizes family union; however, the 12 pro-democracy Hongkongers have been detained in China for more than 120 days.
On Dec 18, US state secretary Mike Pompeo again raised concern over the 12 Hongkongers and comdemned China for violating human rights:
"The Hong Kong 12 should be released immediately. Their so-called 'crime' was to flee tyranny. Communist China today is turning Hong Kong into the East Berlin of yesteryear, actively preventing its own people from seeking freedom elsewhere."
Source: Mike Pompeo's Twitter #Dec18; Stand News #Dec19
#MikePompeo #EastBerlin #US #China
US State Secretary Condemns China for Turning Hong Kong into the East Berlin
December 21, 2020 is the Winter Solstice which symbolizes family union; however, the 12 pro-democracy Hongkongers have been detained in China for more than 120 days.
On Dec 18, US state secretary Mike Pompeo again raised concern over the 12 Hongkongers and comdemned China for violating human rights:
"The Hong Kong 12 should be released immediately. Their so-called 'crime' was to flee tyranny. Communist China today is turning Hong Kong into the East Berlin of yesteryear, actively preventing its own people from seeking freedom elsewhere."
Source: Mike Pompeo's Twitter #Dec18; Stand News #Dec19
#MikePompeo #EastBerlin #US #China
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
Facial Recognition System for Uyghurs Identification, Alibaba: Ethnic Marking Function Has Been Removed
Source: Stand News #Dec18
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Source: Stand News #Dec18
Read more
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Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#MassSurveillance
Facial Recognition System for Uyghurs Identification, Alibaba: Ethnic Marking Function Has Been Removed
One of the leading technology companies in China Alibaba developed a facial recognition system, which was revealed a few days ago that it can identify Uyghurs in Xinjiang, arousing doubts from outsides. Alibaba announced in a statement today (18th December) that they will no longer allow its products to target and identify specific ethnic group again. They also feel "dismayed" that the facial recognition system includes ethnic recognition function, and the ethnic recognition function has already been deleted in all products.
Although AI technology has brought lots of life benefits, there are also opportunities to be abused and even violate human rights. IP Video Market (IPVM) discovered on the website of Alibaba that it demonstrates the function of the facial recognition system for Uyghurs or other minorities, with detail instructions for use. The website introduced that the user can easily upload the pictures or videos, and the system then can determine whether people in the photos or videos are Uyghurs. However, after IPVM inquired, that related information has already been deleted by Alibaba.
Source: Stand News #Dec18
https://bit.ly/34GCBfh
#China #Alibaba #Uyghurs #minority #Freedom #humanrights #IPVM #Facialrecognition
Facial Recognition System for Uyghurs Identification, Alibaba: Ethnic Marking Function Has Been Removed
One of the leading technology companies in China Alibaba developed a facial recognition system, which was revealed a few days ago that it can identify Uyghurs in Xinjiang, arousing doubts from outsides. Alibaba announced in a statement today (18th December) that they will no longer allow its products to target and identify specific ethnic group again. They also feel "dismayed" that the facial recognition system includes ethnic recognition function, and the ethnic recognition function has already been deleted in all products.
Although AI technology has brought lots of life benefits, there are also opportunities to be abused and even violate human rights. IP Video Market (IPVM) discovered on the website of Alibaba that it demonstrates the function of the facial recognition system for Uyghurs or other minorities, with detail instructions for use. The website introduced that the user can easily upload the pictures or videos, and the system then can determine whether people in the photos or videos are Uyghurs. However, after IPVM inquired, that related information has already been deleted by Alibaba.
Source: Stand News #Dec18
https://bit.ly/34GCBfh
#China #Alibaba #Uyghurs #minority #Freedom #humanrights #IPVM #Facialrecognition
立場新聞 Stand News
被揭人臉識別系統 可辨識維吾爾人 阿里巴巴：已刪除種族標記功能 | 立場報道 | 立場新聞
中國科技龍頭之一阿里巴巴研發的人臉辨識系統，日前被揭發可用作辨識新疆維吾爾族人，惹來外界質疑；阿里巴巴今日發表...
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Federal prosecutors accuse Zoom executive of working with Chinese government to surveil users and suppress video calls
A security executive of Zoom Xinjiang Jin worked with the Chinese government to terminate Americans’ accounts and disrupt video calls about the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy activists in Tiananmen Square, Justice Department prosecutors said Friday.
Zoom is California-based company and worth more than $100 billion
Prosecutors said that Jin worked as Zoom’s primary liaison with Chinese law enforcement and intelligence services, sharing user information and terminating video calls at the Chinese government’s request. Also, he monitored Zoom’s video system for discussions of political and religious topics deemed unacceptable by China’s ruling Communist Party, the complaint states, and he gave government officials the names, email addresses and other sensitive information of users, even those outside China.
Source: Washington Post #Dec18
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/18/zoom-helped-china-surveillance/
#Zoon #InternetCensorship #CCP #ChinaPoverty
A security executive of Zoom Xinjiang Jin worked with the Chinese government to terminate Americans’ accounts and disrupt video calls about the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy activists in Tiananmen Square, Justice Department prosecutors said Friday.
Zoom is California-based company and worth more than $100 billion
Prosecutors said that Jin worked as Zoom’s primary liaison with Chinese law enforcement and intelligence services, sharing user information and terminating video calls at the Chinese government’s request. Also, he monitored Zoom’s video system for discussions of political and religious topics deemed unacceptable by China’s ruling Communist Party, the complaint states, and he gave government officials the names, email addresses and other sensitive information of users, even those outside China.
Source: Washington Post #Dec18
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/18/zoom-helped-china-surveillance/
#Zoon #InternetCensorship #CCP #ChinaPoverty
Washington Post
Federal prosecutors accuse Zoom executive of working with Chinese government to surveil users and suppress video calls
The case is a stunning blow for the $100 billion video-call giant that has become the go-to source for staying in touch during the pandemic.
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China ends poverty with help of towering debt and big handouts
China has declared an end to poverty, but that victory came with snowballing debts in the nation's poorest counties that were used to finance handouts and subsidies, raising doubts about the sustainability of the government's campaign.
Aggressive measures to eradicate poverty include relocating entire farming communities from poor, mountainous areas and disbursing monetary assistance. Also, some municipalities have also been buying agricultural products from poor areas at far above market prices in order to lift incomes.
China set the poverty line too low. The World Bank considers anyone who lives on less than $1.90 a day to be extremely poor. This translates to $693.50 a year -- about $80 above the Chinese threshold.
Source: Nikkei Asia #Dec18
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/China-ends-poverty-with-help-of-towering-debt-and-big-handouts
#ChinaPoverty #China #WorldBank
China has declared an end to poverty, but that victory came with snowballing debts in the nation's poorest counties that were used to finance handouts and subsidies, raising doubts about the sustainability of the government's campaign.
Aggressive measures to eradicate poverty include relocating entire farming communities from poor, mountainous areas and disbursing monetary assistance. Also, some municipalities have also been buying agricultural products from poor areas at far above market prices in order to lift incomes.
China set the poverty line too low. The World Bank considers anyone who lives on less than $1.90 a day to be extremely poor. This translates to $693.50 a year -- about $80 above the Chinese threshold.
Source: Nikkei Asia #Dec18
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/China-ends-poverty-with-help-of-towering-debt-and-big-handouts
#ChinaPoverty #China #WorldBank
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Chinese state-owned fund among backers of company handling Canadian visa applications
Documents filed with Britain’s corporate registry, Companies House, show Chengdong Investment Corp. as one of the most significant contributing partners to the parent company of TT Services, which runs visa application centres for the Canadian government in 24 countries. Its services include collecting fingerprints, photos, biographical information and other personal data.
Chengdong is a subsidiary of China Investment Corp., a Chinese state-run giant with more than US$1-trillion in assets.
Immigration consultants in Canada have raised concerns about the contract with VFS since 2008, when the company began processing visas in China, where police can access corporate offices. Chinese national law also requires any organization operating inside the country to co-operate with intelligence services.
But Richard Fadden, a former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) who served as national security adviser to two prime ministers, said he does not think it is appropriate for a company with Chinese state-enterprise ownership to handle visa applications for the Canadian government.
Source: The Globe and Mail #Dec18
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-chinese-state-owned-fund-among-backers-of-company-handling-canadian/?fbclid=IwAR1qobvp1OuTEhNBRrs4aSA_Y1gIwGdFrNcZwn-4y_rRRODPFMIaYUf6nTg
#Canada #VisaApplication #China
Documents filed with Britain’s corporate registry, Companies House, show Chengdong Investment Corp. as one of the most significant contributing partners to the parent company of TT Services, which runs visa application centres for the Canadian government in 24 countries. Its services include collecting fingerprints, photos, biographical information and other personal data.
Chengdong is a subsidiary of China Investment Corp., a Chinese state-run giant with more than US$1-trillion in assets.
Immigration consultants in Canada have raised concerns about the contract with VFS since 2008, when the company began processing visas in China, where police can access corporate offices. Chinese national law also requires any organization operating inside the country to co-operate with intelligence services.
But Richard Fadden, a former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) who served as national security adviser to two prime ministers, said he does not think it is appropriate for a company with Chinese state-enterprise ownership to handle visa applications for the Canadian government.
Source: The Globe and Mail #Dec18
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-chinese-state-owned-fund-among-backers-of-company-handling-canadian/?fbclid=IwAR1qobvp1OuTEhNBRrs4aSA_Y1gIwGdFrNcZwn-4y_rRRODPFMIaYUf6nTg
#Canada #VisaApplication #China
The Globe and Mail
Chinese state-owned fund among backers of company handling Canadian visa applications
The ownership structure has prompted some of Canada’s former foreign intelligence leaders to warn that Ottawa should think carefully about trusting sensitive information to a company partly owned by the Chinese state
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China’s Attacks on Australian Goods Take Many Different Forms
After a year of steadily worsening relations between Beijing and Canberra, China has imposed a raft of trade measures blocking billions of dollars’ worth of Australian commodities.
The restrictions targeting shipments of beef, barley, coal, lobster, wine and timber have taken on many forms. Some measures are precise, such as anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on barley, allowing Australia to escalate the matter to the World Trade Organization. Others, ranging from verbal notices to bans on individual companies, are less clear-cut.
Source: Bloomberg #Dec18
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-17/china-s-attacks-on-australian-goods-take-many-different-forms
#AustraliaChina #WTO #Antidumping #China
After a year of steadily worsening relations between Beijing and Canberra, China has imposed a raft of trade measures blocking billions of dollars’ worth of Australian commodities.
The restrictions targeting shipments of beef, barley, coal, lobster, wine and timber have taken on many forms. Some measures are precise, such as anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on barley, allowing Australia to escalate the matter to the World Trade Organization. Others, ranging from verbal notices to bans on individual companies, are less clear-cut.
Source: Bloomberg #Dec18
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-17/china-s-attacks-on-australian-goods-take-many-different-forms
#AustraliaChina #WTO #Antidumping #China