An extensive investigation by the Associated Press has uncovered that major U.S. technology firms have played a significant and previously underestimated role in enabling China's expansive digital surveillance state. Over the past 25 years, companies such as IBM, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle, Intel, Nvidia, and Thermo Fisher have sold advanced systems—including facial and fingerprint recognition, AI surveillance tools, DNA sequencing technology, encrypted communications, cloud storage, and mapping software—to Chinese police and intelligence agencies.
These technologies have been deployed across sensitive regions like Xinjiang and Tibet, where ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs and Tibetans, have faced systemic repression. The tools have facilitated predictive policing, internet censorship, and DNA data collection tied to ethnicity. Despite years of warnings and growing awareness of human rights violations, tech partnerships and sales extended into the 2020s, with some companies only ending business relationships after being contacted for this report.
The investigation reveals that American firms often marketed and sold these technologies directly for policing purposes, with minimal regard for human rights consequences. Some companies insisted they adhered to existing export regulations or had no current involvement. However, leaked emails, procurement records, and expert interviews indicate a deep involvement in building and enabling China's surveillance infrastructure.
China's government has defended its surveillance practices as anti-terror measures, accusing the U.S. of hypocrisy. The report warns that many of these tools have global reach and could influence authoritarian governance elsewhere, illustrating the global risks of unchecked surveillance technology.
This revelation raises significant ethical and legal questions about corporate responsibility and international tech regulation. It serves as a global warning, illustrating how advanced surveillance tools can erode civil freedoms and highlighting the need for stricter oversight of technology exports to authoritarian regimes.
