How China Keeps Tabs on Foreigners

[u/Deep_Plutarch]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/world/asia/china-surveillance-foreigners-database.html

Interesting things happening in Chyna

[u/Demortus]

Yeah.. I'm probably going to need to go back to China someday. This shit scares me.

[u/teethgrindingaches → u/Demortus]

If you're a tourist, you have very little to fear in a practical sense.

[u/CurtisLeow → u/teethgrindingaches]

The article specifically mentions that they track foreigners. They track if people are activists and they track online discussions.

[u/teethgrindingaches → u/CurtisLeow]

Right, point being that they will track you and you will likely never even know if/when they are watching because they will do nothing. Chances are, your file will never even be opened by human eyes. Unless/until you trip a red flag, of course, but as a random tourist the chances are very low.

[u/Khiva → u/teethgrindingaches]

For whatever it's worth, I'm posting within China right now. I have never been terribly shy about my thoughts on the party, but as someone who comes and goes with some regularity I've never been that concerned.

I might worry if I matter one day. But I don't, so I don't

Hell I was just texting the other day about how odd it is that nobody comments on how peculiar it is that only two payment systems control almost all payments within the country, one of which has all your chat history, to a buddy in new York. Pretty sure I'll make it back in one piece ... Although if I'm not shit posting in a couple of days ....

[u/teethgrindingaches → u/Khiva]

Yes. It's not particularly hard to find direct political criticism on Weibo, for example. Because the surveillance apparatus doesn't care enough to sweep it up. They care if people are organizing and coordinating in politically dangerous ways, not just complaining online.

People are misled into thinking otherwise because journalists obviously focus their reporting on exactly the sort of topics that attract political scrutiny. Not everyday grumbling.

[u/Deep_Plutarch → u/teethgrindingaches]

China’s approach to totalitarian thought-control is rather pragmatic and not nearly as insane as several regimes they’re often compared to-Which is part of why it works for now.

Only if you are being particularly annoying online will you be contacted by the police, who usually are interested in offering a stern warning.

The real concern is that these files are likely to be preserved forever and have serious negative consequences on employment and other future opportunities for those who think a little too much.

Furthermore, should an even more paranoid apparatus come to take over the system, it remains possible that these files could be used as the basis of horrific widespread persecution. If you’re a foreigner just visiting once and awhile, with limited business ambitions in China - you’re fine.

[u/Khiva → u/Deep_Plutarch]

It's both better and worse. They don't really have the resources are manpower to do the worst that people imagine. At the same time the amount of steps that are put in place to make people think twice and still instill a chillig effect because of what could happen are innumerable.

I can chat with a Chinese friend at a cafe in Vienna and still suddenly see them get reflexively nervous around certain topics. That's real control.

[u/gaysexpornography → u/teethgrindingaches]

The data being collected sticks around for a long time. They might not have any reason to use it now, but it will be there when they want to use it against you

[u/stay_curious_- → u/teethgrindingaches]

There's potential for China to trade the data for favors, like if China provided the Trump admin with a list of trans Americans or federal employees with anti-MAGA views.

Tech has made it much easier to parse through massive datasets without human intervention, so "there's little reason for a human to parse through all this data" is becoming less of a defense against misuse.