Lawfare Daily: Yaqiu Wang on Surveillance, Censorship, and Emerging Technologies in the PRC

In this episode of Lawfare Daily, senior editor Michael Theinberg interviews Yaqiu Wang, a human rights advocate with decades of experience studying China's governance and surveillance systems. The conversation delves into the evolution of China's digital and physical surveillance apparatus, particularly before and after the rise of artificial intelligence. Wang details how the Chinese government has long used internet censorship, facial recognition, and biometric data collection to monitor citizens, with Xinjiang serving as a stark example of extreme control over ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs. She explains how AI has intensified these systems by enabling real-time content analysis, circumvention detection, and predictive policing, making dissent increasingly difficult even through coded language or symbolic protest. The discussion extends beyond China’s borders, highlighting how Chinese surveillance technology is being exported globally through the Belt and Road Initiative’s 'digital Silk Road,' impacting diaspora communities and foreign governments. Wang also critiques the U.S. tech and policy debate, warning that while American companies must remain vigilant against espionage, over-policing of Chinese scientists and academics risks driving talent back to China and undermining democratic values. She emphasizes that the true danger lies not in AI itself, but in authoritarian regimes weaponizing data collection and surveillance for repression, and urges American tech firms to uphold democratic principles in their global engagement.