National security officers will start checking personal mobile phones or computers in July

Customs in Shenzhen, Shanghai and other places have already implemented it.

China’s Ministry of National Security announced two regulations on law enforcement procedures on April 26, which mentioned that local law enforcement officers will be given the right to inspect electronic devices. Tourists visiting China may have their mobile phones or computers inspected by local law enforcement officers. According to passengers, Shenzhen and Shanghai customs have begun random checks on mobile phones or laptops of incoming passengers.

On April 26, China's Ministry of National Security announced the "Regulations on the Security Administrative Law Enforcement Procedures of National Security Agencies" and the "Procedural Regulations on the Handling of Criminal Cases by National Security Agencies", which mentioned that local "law enforcement officers" will be equipped with the power to "inspect electronic equipment." The above-mentioned "Regulations" will be implemented on July 1. However , Ms. Jiang, a resident who had just returned to Hong Kong from Shenzhen, told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday that she saw a woman behind her at the Futian Port last weekend whose mobile phone was intercepted by customs officers. She said: "When I was going through the customs in Shenzhen, I saw two female customs staff checking a female tourist's mobile phone. They opened her mobile phone and said, "You have more than one mobile phone. Do you have other mobile phones?" , I took out the other phones and looked at them. I didn’t know about it later. I saw it when I was passing the customs.”

Ms. Jiang said that she had encountered the above situation twice recently at Nanjing and Hangzhou airports: "He just looked at what content was in your phone, what photos were there, and what the photos were. I cleaned up my phone that day, and it was very sensitive to deletion. Content."

Another Shanghai resident, Mr. Shao, told this station that when he recently returned to Shanghai from Japan, he saw customs officers searching a man’s mobile phone at the airport: “I saw a Chinese man being stopped by customs, looking at his mobile phone, and then letting him know. He left, and it seems that no problem was found in the phone.”

Inspection of personal electronic devices will take effect on July 1 and customs will take early action

According to Article 40 of China's "Regulations on Administrative Law Enforcement Procedures of National Security Agencies", national security agencies can inspect the electronic devices, electronic devices, electronic devices, electronic devices, electronic devices, etc. Facilities and related applications and tools. In an emergency, law enforcement officers only need to obtain the approval of the person in charge of the national security agency at or above the districted city level and present their people's police card or reconnaissance card to directly conduct on-site inspections.

Our reporters called the Shenzhen and Shanghai customs offices respectively, but no one answered.

Legal scholar Lu Chenyuan said in an interview with this station that the laws and regulations on safeguarding national security that will be implemented on July 1 can easily make people feel fear: "I think their purpose is to create a situation where everyone is in danger of themselves. . Asking everyone to conduct strict self-censorship, such as not contacting people outside the country, Signal, telegram, etc., are probably what they will focus on censoring. This is completely contrary to the rights of citizens to freedom of speech given by the Constitution. ”

Checking one’s cell phone is a random invasion of privacy

Lu Chenyuan said that in particular, the procedural provisions of security administrative law enforcement can even check mobile phones and communication tools: "It is completely illegal regardless of personal privacy rights. If it is a criminal case involving national security, if there is a search warrant, at least in The act is legal, but your administrative law enforcement can actually check other people's mobile phones. This behavior is very evil. "

However, the authorities did not explain what an "emergency situation" is in the "Regulations". As long as the superior supervisor approves, passers-by's mobile phones can be checked. For example, customs officers randomly checking passengers' mobile phones to see if they are "emergency situations" in the "Regulations".

Scholar Mr. Liu told this station that the authorities issued such regulations, allowing official personnel other than inspection or national security personnel to check ordinary people's mobile phones at will: "It is to push the concept of emphasizing national security to everyone at once, push This creates a pervasive atmosphere of national security terror in everyone’s lives.”