Whistleblowing

China wants to catch foreign spies with an English spy catcher site

China's Ministry of State Security recently launched a "whistleblowing" website to collect tips on foreign spies.

The site, 12339.gov.cn, launched on April 15 and allows users to report any incident which endangers national security, targeting espionage in particular.

The site contains an extensive list of targeted actions. These include attempting to "overthrow the socialist system" through rumor or libel, and organizing activities with foreign countries, institutions, organizations, or individuals "undermining national unity."

"Any person outside the territory who, in violation of relevant regulations and without paying heed to dissuasion, willfully meets with any person within the territory who have conducted activities endangering state security or being strongly suspected of doing so," can also be reported on the site.

In a country where the government considers ethnic minorities,online commenters, and even group-chat users a potential political threat, the list of reportable activities indicates human-rights workers, journalists, and well-meaning locals and foreigners could easily be spotlighted.