China forces Muslims to download spyware on their mobile phones or face jail

(Xinjiang) Whilst the entire Islamic world falls about in self-flagellation over the deployment of metal detectors outside a mosque in Jerusalem, in China, the entire Islamic population of Urumqi has been directed by the authorities to download spyware onto their mobile phones in which to allow the Chinese to monitor their activities, or face 10 days in jail.

The initiative was started in Xinjiang in western China, with authorities sending a message via WeChat to residents in Urumqi, requiring them to install an Android application called Jingwang whose role is to spy on users and detect any possible terrorist and illegal religious videos, images, e-books, and electronic documents.

The notice, written in Uyghur and Chinese, was sent by WeChat to residents in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital.

The Law enforcement agencies in China have issued warnings that random checks on phones will be carried in the coming weeks to make sure that everyone installs the app and no infringing content is stored on the devices. If the app detects content that violates the guidelines, users are prompted to delete it. Those who do not comply are also detained. The app is able to spy on the majority of activities performed on the phone, with logged data including conversations on WeChat and Weibo, two of the most popular communication platforms in China. Information like WiFi login details, device IMEI, and SIM card data is also collected and transferred to a government server, along with information on the media files stored on the device and which are compared to digital signatures of content flagged as infringing or linked with terrorist activity.

Strange how the Islamic world hasn't battered an eyelid on this subject.