Tibetans with contacts in exile asked to install spyware on cellphone

This is a new surveillance tactic used by the Chinese authorities. According to the Dharamshala-based research group, Tibet Watch local sources in Tibet have confirmed the use of cell phone spyware that actively monitors Tibetans with contacts in exile, reported Phayul. 

A researcher Pema Gyal from Tibet Watch told Phayul, "China has aggressively enforced the use of software in the phones of concerned individuals. The local source in Tibet has told us how the authorities keep an eye on everything they do on their phones. 

The situation in these regions has become highly sensitive. From 2017 to 2021, what has now transpired is that even families are finding it difficult to contact their loved ones. Now the government suspects anybody who has any contact outside,"

She shared, "There have been instances in one of the monasteries where Chinese officials arrived to warn the monks that if they are in possession of information that could put them in jeopardy. This is just one example. The extent of surveillance has reached every part of Tibet. This is not something out of my own imagination, this is real.", reported Phayul. 

The researcher also highlighted the fear Tibetans are compelled to face under such a regime. The report reveals, "Anyone found with photos and videos deemed "politically sensitive" by police authorities and contacting Tibetans living outside Tibet were arbitrarily detained for two to three months. 

They have also been kept under surveillance upon release and subjected to restrictions on movement," the report further revealed. 

According to the report, in another incident, three more Tibetans were detained in Drago County in January for having photos and videos on their phones of the recent demolitions of Buddha statues at Drago monastery. 

Two men, Asang and Dota, and a woman named Nortso were arrested after their phones were searched upon their return from pilgrimage, reported Phayul.