BG Staff
International tourists coming to Xinjiang, China are given a nasty surprise. There is a mobile app that is installed on their smartphones, yes, you’ve got it right, forcefully!
According to a Vice report, tourists are being checked at Chinese borders in the Xinjiang region and having their smartphones confiscated.
Authorities install an app called Fengcai or BXAQ that collects all personal data including images, text messages, phone contacts, calls made and the apps installed. That data is connected with a central computer that operates remotely.
It is reported that Fengcai has been found to check the content against a list of 73,000 items labelled as suspicious or carrying further investigation. Interestingly, the data taken into consideration also include, how to make weapons, Arabic books, Quran audio and also documents relating to the Dalai Lama.
The app is for Android only and is added to the phone through side-loading. iPhones are also being taken into custody, seized and plugged into a handheld device. It is established that the guards are able to bypass the iPhone security protocols and are able to grab all personal, sensitive data.
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It is revealed that Fengcai was developed by Ninjing Fiber Home StarrySky Communication Development Company Ltd. Authorities are not willing to talk about these phone seizing activity on the borders but if you plan to visit the Xinjiang region, how about surprising them with ‘No Phone’?. You can buy a cheap phone from China, get a local sim, use it when in the country. This way, no one would be able to get your sensitive information and pass it on to the Government.
