From passport to train seat, China develops a surveillance system capable of tracking foreigners in real time and turning each person into a “holographic file” for the police.

Exposed system reveals how foreign journalists’ data, travel, and personal records can be integrated into surveillance platforms in China, in a case that raises questions about monitoring and transparency.

A surveillance system linked to China’s public security structures gathered personal data of foreign journalists and showed how local authorities can cross-reference travel records, facial recognition images, visa information, consumption, and personal contacts to track foreigners in the country.

The platform was identified by the cybersecurity researcher known by the pseudonym NetAskari, who reported the case to DW after accessing a Chinese panel without adequate protection.

The page had an area called “journalist file inquiry.”

Upon entering it, NetAskari stated that he expected to find fictitious data, common in demo versions.

However, according to the researcher, the database displayed real information of almost all foreign correspondents registered in Beijing around 2021, such as photos used in official documents, cell phone numbers, visa data, birth dates, and other personal records.

The researcher himself said he found his data on the platform.

To DW, he stated that the discovery was “more interesting than shocking.”

According to NetAskari, journalists working in China usually assume they are monitored, but the ease of access to a system with sensitive information caught his attention.

Surveillance system in Zhangjiakou gathered data of foreigners

The panel accessed by NetAskari would be a demo version of a remote tracking system developed for the Public Security Department of Zhangjiakou, in Hebei province.

The city hosted competitions for the 2022 Winter Olympics and is a region associated with winter sports.

Although the platform appeared as a test environment, the database contained real data, according to the researcher.

The analyzed material indicates that the system was designed to organize individual information into detailed profiles, with records of movement, identification, behavior, and personal connections.

This type of tool is described in documents and analyses as part of a “holographic profiles” model.

In practice, the platform is not limited to images from cameras installed on streets or stations.

It also cross-references transportation, accommodation, facial recognition, entries in specific locations, and administrative records.

At the Zhangjiakou panel, it was possible to check foreign travelers’ train journeys from cities like Beijing and Shanghai, with indication of carriage and seat.

There were also records related to hotels, hospitals, residential address, employer, visa status, and the number of times a person had been detected by facial recognition cameras.

The platform also included information originating from systems installed in leisure areas.

According to NetAskari, images taken by turnstiles with facial recognition at local ski resorts were incorporated into the tracking mechanism.

The researcher stated that the system’s logic is to process the largest possible volume of data, from the largest possible number of sensors, in real-time.

Foreign journalists appear as a group of interest

The analyzed records show that foreign journalists were treated as a specific group within the platform.

Some names received markings that allowed tracking functions to be triggered, including alerts when the person entered a certain jurisdiction.

For international correspondents, this type of monitoring can reduce the dependence on physical surveillance.

Instead of physically following each movement, authorities can, according to the system’s description, receive automatic alerts and consult records already integrated into the database.

The panel also generated reports on foreigners in Zhangjiakou and highlighted citizens from countries that are part of the intelligence alliance known as Five Eyes: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

NetAskari interpreted this focus as a sign of special attention from Chinese security agencies to citizens of these countries.

However, the analyzed material does not detail the official criteria used for this classification.

In the case of journalists, the combination of tickets, payments, social networks, accommodations, and images can allow the reconstruction of reporting routes and the identification of possible sources.

This assessment was made by NetAskari and by organizations monitoring press restrictions in China, which had already expressed concern about tools aimed at tracking reporters.

In regions considered sensitive by the Chinese government, such as Xinjiang, foreign correspondents have already reported being followed by plainclothes agents, physical pursuits, and approaches during trips.

With automated systems, part of this control can occur before the journalist arrives at the location.

“They no longer need to send two or three cars,” NetAskari told DW.

Facial recognition and everyday data enter the personal archive

The platform analyzed by NetAskari also gathered data on day-to-day activities.

Among the identified fields were shopping locations, gasoline consumption, frequent visits, and presence in areas associated with petitions, a mechanism used in China to present complaints or claims to authorities.

These records help to compose an individual file with routine data.

Instead of gathering only registration information, the system organizes movements, consumption habits, and transit points.

From this cross-referencing, operators can consult patterns attributed to a specific person.

Another relevant field was risk classification.

In the observed environment, different records displayed the same percentage, suggesting a provisional value or used only in the demonstration.

Even so, the existence of this category shows that the platform was designed to classify individuals.

There is no secure public confirmation on which data would feed this calculation or how this score would be used by the authorities.

China has maintained large networks of cameras and data integration projects for years.

One of the most well-known is Xueliang, or “Bright Eyes,” created to enhance the connection between surveillance systems in different regions.

The Zhangjiakou panel indicates a stage aimed at integrating video, official records, administrative bases, and information associated with private services.

Reports from organizations specializing in media and technology also indicate that Chinese authorities have sought to combine artificial intelligence tools, cameras, sensors, and administrative databases in alert and social control systems.

These analyses treat the Zhangjiakou case as part of a broader trend of digitalizing public security in the country.

Monitoring of personal relationships expands the system’s reach

In addition to tracking individual movements, the panel had resources to map connections between people.

The platform could generate graphs from interactions captured on video and cross-reference this data with information such as nationality, work, role, and area of residence.

With this type of resource, the system does not track just one isolated person.

It also allows visualizing recurring contacts, meetings, and relationship networks.

NetAskari’s assessment is that this model reduces the manual work of observation and provides the operator with an already organized structure of personal connections.

The researcher related these resources to “smart policing” models described in previous Chinese patents.

A Hisense patent, registered in 2019, dealt with a holographic file structure for persons of interest based on knowledge graphs, including movements, calls, vehicles, and other data.

DW also cited a contract of about $200,000 awarded in 2025 by the Putuo Public Security Department in Shanghai for a holistic personnel file system.

The information reinforces that local security agencies have been seeking tools capable of consolidating personal data into query platforms.

In practice, the proposal of these systems is to organize already collected information and present patterns to public security operators.

Instead of relying solely on field teams, the platform cross-references records and indicates links, movements, and activities considered relevant by the system’s internal criteria.

History of Surveillance Against Journalists in China

The Zhangjiakou case is not the first public record of Chinese tools aimed at monitoring journalists.

In 2021, Reuters revealed bidding documents from Henan province that foresaw a system to track journalists, foreign students, and other groups classified as persons of interest.

According to the Reuters report, the Henan project would use 3,000 facial recognition cameras connected to national and regional databases.

The system also provided alerts when journalists entered the province, purchased tickets, or checked into hotels.

At the time, the International Federation of Journalists expressed concern about the possibility of technology expanding forms of intimidation against press professionals.

The organization stated that local and foreign correspondents already faced surveillance, obstruction, and harassment in the exercise of journalistic activity.

Reuters reported that it could not confirm whether the Henan system went into operation.

This point is relevant because bidding documents indicate intention and contracting, but do not always allow for the effective operation of a platform to be proven.

Transparency on Digital Surveillance Remains Limited

Surveillance technologies, facial recognition, and data analysis also generate debates in Western democracies, especially when they involve public security, privacy, and the role of private companies.

The comparison, however, depends on the degree of transparency, institutional oversight, and the possibility of public contestation in each country.

NetAskari told DW that this is a central difference in the Chinese case.

According to him, in democracies, there are public discussions and institutional disputes about the use of these tools.

In China, the researcher said, the police and the Ministry of State Security operate with little public oversight.

The discovery does not allow us to affirm that all the functions seen on the panel are in use on a national scale.

Part of the interface had characteristics of a development environment, with incomplete fields and test elements.

Even so, the presence of real data from journalists and foreigners shows that sensitive information was incorporated into the platform.

For foreigners who live, work, or travel through China, the case exposes a surveillance model based on the connection between different records.

Tickets, purchases, check-ins, facial images, and personal contacts can be gathered into a single operational database.