China Implements QR Code Tracking on Kitchen Knives in Xinjiang Amidst High-Tech Surveillance Push

In China’s Xinjiang region, authorities are implementing an extensive high-tech surveillance system that now includes tracking common household items like kitchen knives. This measure, part of a broader security initiative, involves etching QR codes onto knife blades that contain the owner’s personal identification details, raising concerns about privacy and the extent of state control over daily life.

• Kitchen knives in Xinjiang are being laser-etched with QR codes linked to owner identification.
• This initiative is part of a wider, intensified high-tech surveillance program in the region.
• The policy aims to trace knives back to their owners in case of violent incidents.
• Critics argue the heavy-handed approach fuels anger and distrust towards the Uighur population.

Authorities in the Xinjiang region, home to the predominantly Muslim Uighur ethnic group, are employing a growing array of surveillance technologies. This includes ubiquitous face and license plate scanners, mandatory vehicle trackers, and physical searches of vehicles and belongings. Public spaces, including mosques and restaurants, are heavily monitored by surveillance cameras.

A significant aspect of this surveillance push is the requirement for businesses, such as knife shops, to invest in specialized machinery. These machines encode a customer’s ID card number, photo, ethnicity, and address into a QR code, which is then permanently etched onto the blades of purchased knives, including everyday kitchen knives. This policy, reportedly implemented in cities like Aksu, is officially intended to aid in tracing the origin of any knife used in a violent crime.

Beyond tracking physical objects, Xinjiang is also undergoing a comprehensive biometric data collection program. Security directives mandate the collection of three-dimensional facial portraits, voiceprints, DNA samples, and fingerprints from residents. This data collection is part of the government’s intensified national security efforts, particularly following a series of deadly attacks in 2014 that were attributed to Xinjiang-based militants.

Government investment in security-related projects in Xinjiang has surged dramatically. In the first quarter of 2017 alone, over $1 billion was invested, a stark increase from $27 million in the entirety of 2015. This significant financial commitment underscores the government’s focus on bolstering the region’s security apparatus.

The heightened security measures come in the wake of past incidents, including ethnic violence in 2009 that led to extended communication blackouts in the region. Critics, however, contend that the government’s stringent and pervasive approach in Xinjiang fosters resentment and exacerbates tensions with the Uighur population, rather than ensuring genuine security.

• In locked-down Xinjiang, China is tracking kitchen knives with QR codes, Fast Company.