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China is applying a lot of pressure on Hong Kongers right now, including searching devices at the border for any signs of protest photos. The Hong Kong police h

China is applying a lot of pressure on Hong Kongers right now, including searching devices at the border for any signs of protest photos. The Hong Kong police have requested Octopus card records (the mass transit card that is linked to individual user IDs) and CCTV footage of the airport protests last week. There is evidence of information sharing between Hong Kong police and mainland authorities. The implied threat is that anyone who participates in protests risks their livelihood and prospects of future education, and that major companies in Hong Kong will not be allowed to remain apolitical, but must choose sides. These pressure tactics are intended to break the Hong Kong protests, and while taken very seriously by Hong Kongers, have so far failed to achieve that aim.

spacehunt 7y ago
It's the Cultural Revolution-era "us-versus-them" tactic. You either fall in line, or you are the enemy of the people. https://medium.com/@pnolan20/lets-stop-the-us-versus-them-conversations-before-its-too-late-8068fef03fd8 https://medium.com/@pnolan20/lets-stop-the-us-versus-them-co...
chrischen 7y ago
I don’t think border searches like this are out of the norm even by Western standards.
- hker 7y ago
  I agree that border searches by Western standards have worsen recently, e.g., the US customs may ask for social media handles. But the Chinese border searches have gone even further: they install additional tracking apps on travelers’ phones [1], and they make a copy of the phone data for later analysis (in Cantonese [2]). [1]: https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/08/article/visitors-to-china-warned-about-phone-checks/ https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/08/article/visitors-to-china-... [2]: https://lih.kg/1384861 https://lih.kg/1384861
- tptacek 7y ago
  The likelihood of a US border search that turns up protest materials costing you your degree or your next 5 job prospects is essentially 0.

spacehunt 7y ago

It's the Cultural Revolution-era "us-versus-them" tactic. You either fall in line, or you are the enemy of the people. https://medium.com/@pnolan20/lets-stop-the-us-versus-them-conversations-before-its-too-late-8068fef03fd8 https://medium.com/@pnolan20/lets-stop-the-us-versus-them-co...

chrischen 7y ago

I don’t think border searches like this are out of the norm even by Western standards.

hker 7y ago
I agree that border searches by Western standards have worsen recently, e.g., the US customs may ask for social media handles. But the Chinese border searches have gone even further: they install additional tracking apps on travelers’ phones [1], and they make a copy of the phone data for later analysis (in Cantonese [2]). [1]: https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/08/article/visitors-to-china-warned-about-phone-checks/ https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/08/article/visitors-to-china-... [2]: https://lih.kg/1384861 https://lih.kg/1384861
tptacek 7y ago
The likelihood of a US border search that turns up protest materials costing you your degree or your next 5 job prospects is essentially 0.