China installs spyware on tourists's phones?

The application is installed on mobile phones with Android operating system at the border crossing points and then proceeds to collection of all personal information, which are sent to a remote server.

Οhis guests Xinjiang of Northwest China are experiencing an unpleasant surprise in the form of a spyware application that is installed directly on their mobile phones.

According to his report Vice, Tourists stop at China's Xinjiang border where their mobile phones are confiscated. Border guards then install an application called Fengcai, or BXAQ, which collects all of a tourist's personal information, including text messages, calendar entries, phone contacts, call logs, and a list of installed applications. All data is then sent to a remote server for evaluation.

As tourists' personal information is being collected, the Fengcai app was found to be checking the contents of a list of 73.000 items that have been identified as suspicious and deserve further investigation. Some of these elements rightly deserve further research, such as instructions on how to make weapons, but the list also includes books written in Arabic, Koranic reading sounds, and documents related to the Dalai Lama.

Currently, the Fengcai app is used on mobile phones running Android and is added to a device through the side-loading process. However, iPhones are also confiscated by border guards and connected to a portable device. It is very possible that border guards have access to a device that is capable of overlooking security and receiving all personal information from an iOS mobile phone, such as the device provided by the Israeli company Cellebrite to the prosecuting authorities.

The Fengcai application was developed by Ninjing FiberHome StarrySky Communication Development Company Ltd. and then distributed by the Chinese authorities. Neither side is expected to mention the use of spyware and the forced seizure of smartphones. So if you are planning to visit the Xinjiang area, it is best to leave your smartphone at home or at least run the best security solution (either firewall application or antivirus) you could have.

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