The Chinese government is apparently forcing tourists to download malware onto their phones when visiting the country. The malware downloads people’s text messages, phone logs, and calendar entries, and scans the devices for around 73,000 other files. According to a joint report on Tuesday, tourists crossing the Chinese border into the Xinjiang region have had their phones seized by border guards, who then install Android malware called BXAQ or Fengcai. It searches for any Islamic content, according to several expert analyses of the software. A tourist who had the malware installed on their phone reportedly provided it to both Süddeutsche Zeitung and Motherboard, with a reporter at Süddeutsche Zeitung then crossing the border and experiencing the malware installation themselves. That reporter also said they saw machines being used to search iPhones at the border. The malware also searched for parts of the Quran, Dalai Lama PDF files, and music from a Japanese metal band, Unholy Grave, the reports said. Meanwhile, China has reportedly blocked access to US news sites in addition to blocking Western social media and Wikipedia from its citizens.
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