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How a Chinese company exports the Great Firewall to autocratic regimes

September 18, 2025

A joint investigation of 100,000 leaked documents revealed that Chinese company Geedge Networks has been exporting internet censorship and surveillance technology similar to China's Great Firewall to several autocratic regimes. Founded in 2018 by Fang Binxing, known as the "father of the Great Firewall," Geedge has provided these systems to governments in Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan, while also conducting testing projects within China, particularly in Xinjiang. The technology enables website filtering, real-time surveillance, internet blackouts, VPN blocking, malware deployment, and user tracking capabilities.

Who is affected

  • Internet users in Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan
  • Citizens in Xinjiang and other Chinese regions where surveillance systems are tested
  • People living under oppressive regimes worldwide
  • Users of blocked apps and VPNs in affected countries
  • Individuals targeted by surveillance in these regions
  • Minority groups in Xinjiang subject to monitoring and tracking

What action is being taken

  • Researchers from InterSecLab, Amnesty International, Justice For Myanmar, and the Tor Project are investigating the leaked documents
  • Geedge Networks is currently providing censorship and surveillance systems to multiple governments
  • The Chinese company is actively testing and enhancing its surveillance technologies in various regions within China
  • Geedge is remotely managing these systems while sharing user data with Chinese research institutions
  • Internet service providers in client countries are installing Geedge's hardware in their data centers

Why it matters

  • The technology enables comprehensive censorship and privacy violations
  • China is exporting its political control model as a business model to autocratic regimes
  • User data from client countries is being shared with Chinese researchers, violating privacy
  • National data sovereignty is compromised when foreign entities control internet infrastructure
  • The systems are being used to suppress dissent and monitor civilians in multiple countries
  • Western companies' technologies may be indirectly supporting human rights violations
  • The surveillance technology can track people's relationships, behaviors, and physical locations

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices