World
North Korea Is Buying Chinese Surveillance Cameras In A Push To Tighten Control, Report Says
SEOUL, South Korea —According to a report released Tuesday, North Korea is installing surveillance cameras in schools and workplaces and collecting fingerprints, pictures, and other biometric information from its inhabitants as part of a technology-driven effort to further monitor its populace.
According to the researchers, the state’s increasing use of digital surveillance tools, which combine equipment imported from China with domestically developed software, threatens to erase many of the small spaces left for North Koreans to engage in private business activities, access foreign media, and secretly criticize their government.
North Korea Is Buying Chinese Surveillance Cameras In A Push To Tighten Control, Report Says
However, more electricity and better network access are necessary to advance the remote nation’s digital goals. According to the research released by the North Korea-focused website 38 North, these limitations, as well as a history of relying on human techniques to spy on its inhabitants, mean that digital surveillance is less widespread than in China.
The study’s findings are consistent with commonly held beliefs that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is increasing attempts to tighten state control over its populace and foster loyalty to his rule.
The COVID-19 pandemic bolstered these efforts, as the North implemented severe border controls that were maintained for three years before a cautious reopening in 2023.
Walls and electronic monitoring tools put up along the border with China during the outbreak are most likely helping the government crack down on foreign influence and imported media. New legislation and recent reports of harsher punishments indicate this.
“After seeing that it is possible to close the border so tightly, I believe they are now eager to keep it that way,” said Martyn Williams, an analyst who co-authored the report with Natalia Slavney.
The pandemic might have contributed to increased surveillance across the nation, but Williams believes that the rapidly falling cost of surveillance technology has played a much larger role.
The analysis evaluated North Korean surveillance technologies using information from local and foreign media coverage and publicly disclosed research at North Korean universities and governmental institutions. The researchers also stated that they interviewed 40 North Korean escapees about the surveillance they faced while living in the country and, through unspecified partners, surveyed 100 current North Korean residents in 2023 via phone, text messages, and other encrypted communication methods to ensure their safety.
North Korea Is Buying Chinese Surveillance Cameras In A Push To Tighten Control, Report Says
According to state media sources, video surveillance is increasingly ubiquitous in schools, businesses, and airports. The cameras are primarily purchased from Chinese manufacturers, ranging from simple video feeds to more complex versions with features such as facial recognition.
Experts have cautioned that China is selling the technology behind its AI-powered spying to other countries.
According to North Korean state media, cameras are now installed in most schools in the capital, Pyongyang, and other major cities. These cameras allow school staff to remotely monitor classroom activities by panning and zooming in on individual pupils or teachers.
Cameras are also widely utilized in factories, government buildings, and other workplaces to boost security and prevent theft, and facial recognition systems have been used to record visitors to Pyongyang’s Sunan airport since 2019.
According to the report, North Korea has also been expanding its traffic camera network beyond Pyongyang since 2021, deploying them on main routes leading into and out of the city, most likely to automatically record license plates.
The government may still need to fully utilize the data it collects, and it currently lacks an extensive network of security cameras in streets and residential areas, possibly due to power outages and many security agents already monitoring public life in Pyongyang and elsewhere.
However, North Korea appears to anticipate a future of more widespread video surveillance. According to the article, North Korean colleges and research institutions have spent years developing technologies for movement detection, facial recognition, and license plate identification.
Meanwhile, the state is creating complete biometric profiles for its inhabitants. The most recent edition of North Korean national identity cards is in a smartcard format and requires residents to supply fingerprints, facial pictures, and, according to one account, a blood test.
“For North Koreans, the development of CCTV means increased surveillance of their lives, especially if the cameras have automatic detecting systems. Citizens participating in illegal activities would be particularly vulnerable if such cameras become more widely deployed, as facial recognition could monitor their movements around cities,” Williams and Slavney stated.
North Korea Is Buying Chinese Surveillance Cameras In A Push To Tighten Control, Report Says
“At present, North Koreans who get caught in activities such as smuggling or distributing illegally imported goods and foreign content can bribe local security services, but, unlike humans, security cameras cannot be bribed,” the officials stated.
According to Williams, the government will try to expand its monitoring network beyond large cities as infrastructure improves. He said exploiting massive volumes of video data would still be difficult, but North Korea may learn from the neighboring surveillance state.
The most significant challenge is the computational infrastructure required to process all this data in real time. Doing so on a national or even provincial scale is difficult if the network is to be truly widespread and include many cameras,” Williams added. The country would have to construct a tiny data center and ensure a steady electricity supply. Itina can influence it, as it has a much more Orwellian digital monitoring network despite being a rather free society in general.
SOURCE – (AP)
Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer in critical condition after being wounded in an assassination attempt while leaving a government meeting on Wednesday, a government minister said.
The gunman shot Fico, 59, five times, leaving the prime minister in critical condition and requiring surgery hours later on Wednesday evening.
“I was very shocked… fortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well – and I guess in the end, he will survive… he’s not in a life-threatening situation right now,” Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC’s News.
Taraba stated that one bullet passed through Robert Fico’s stomach and another struck a joint. News outlet According to an unidentified source, Fico has recovered from surgery and is in stable condition.
Defence Minister Robert Kalinak told a press conference hours earlier that Fico had suffered “serious polytrauma” as a result of many gunshot wounds. Slovakia’s Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok previously stated that Robert Fico was in a life-threatening condition while still in the surgery room.
“This assassination (attempt) was politically motivated, and the perpetrator’s decision came soon after the presidential election,” Sutaj Estok added, referring to the April election won by a Fico ally, Peter Pellegrini.
The shooting in the central Slovak town of Handlova, which Slovak media reported was carried out by a 71-year-old man, shocked the small central European country and prompted international criticism.
The moments after Slovak PM shot: Screen Capture
Prime Minister Robert Fico’s shooting condemned
Slovakia, a NATO and EU member, has a relatively short history of political violence. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden joined Slovakia’s EU partners in voicing shock and condemnation over the shooting.
The country of 5.4 million has seen polarized political discourse in recent years, including the hard-fought presidential election last month, which helped Fico tighten his grip on power.
Fico has made rapid policy changes since taking office as Prime Minister in October of last year. Opposition critics describe it as a power grab.
His government has reduced its support for Ukraine while engaging in discussions with Russia, attempted to lower corruption punishments and dissolved a special prosecutor’s office, and is overhauling the RTVS public broadcaster amid appeals for media freedom protections.
Fico has long been skeptical of Slovakia’s major media, refusing to talk with certain outlets. Members of his party have recently criticized media and opposition actions. Following the attack, Robert Fico was brought to the hospital in Handlova, where he had been chairing a government meeting.
He was subsequently flown by helicopter to the provincial capital Banska Bystrica for emergency treatment, according to the report, adding that his condition was too bad to be sent to Bratislava.
Shooter a Former Slovakia Security Guard
A witness told Reuters they heard bullets as Fico exited a building to shake hands with a mob of people who had gathered to welcome him. Officers then wrestled a man to the ground.
According to Slovak media, the gunman was a former shopping mall security guard, author of three poetry books, and member of the Slovak Society of Writers. According to Aktuality.sk, his son stated that his father was the lawful bearer of a weapons licence.
“I have absolutely no idea what my father intended, what he planned, or what happened,” the son stated.
According to TA3, the attack hit the Marxist prime minister in the midsection. Fico, Slovakia’s dominant force for two decades, has faced criticism for embracing a more pro-Russian posture in the Ukraine conflict.
In a telegraph to Slovakia’s President Zuzana Caputova, Putin described the shooting as a “monstrous” crime, saying, “I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man.” I sincerely believe that these qualities would help him endure this terrible scenario.”
Biden offered US assistance to Slovakia, stating in a statement: “We condemn this horrific act of violence.”
Progressive Slovakia, Slovakia’s largest opposition party, called off a planned rally and urged caution to avoid increasing tensions. Following the attack, parliament suspended debate indefinitely.
Fico’s career has spanned the pro-European mainstream and nationalistic viewpoints opposed to EU and US policies. He has also demonstrated a readiness to modify course based on public sentiment or changing political realities.
Fico, an admirer of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has become increasingly critical of Western support for Ukraine’s struggle against invading Russian forces.
Fico was forced to quit as prime minister in 2018 following huge protests sparked by the contract killing of Jan Kuciak, a journalist who was exposing high-level corruption. These protests exacerbated long-standing social tensions in Slovakia.
Source: CTN News
HONG KONG — YouTube has disabled access to videos of a protest song in Hong Kong only days after a court approved an injunction prohibiting the song in the city.
In 2019, “Glory to Hong Kong” was an anti-government protest anthem. YouTube stated that it would comply with a removal order by blocking access to over 32 YouTube videos of the song that were designated “prohibited publications” under the injunction.
Attempts to access the YouTube videos from Hong Kong on Wednesday proved unsuccessful. A warning stated, “This content is not available on this country domain due to a court order.”
AP – VOR News image
YouTube Blocks Hong Kong Protest Anthem After Court Injunction Bans Song In The City
The court approved the government’s application to ban the song, recognizing that it could be “weaponized” and used to foment secession.
“We are disappointed by the court’s decision, but we are complying with its removal order by blocking access to the listed videos for viewers in Hong Kong,” YouTube, controlled by Alphabet Inc., said in an emailed statement.
“We’ll continue to consider our options for an appeal, to promote access to information,” the business said, adding that it shared human rights organizations’ concerns about the ban’s stifling effect on free expression online.
George Chen, co-chair of digital practice at Asia Group, a Washington-based business and policy firm, believes it is worth monitoring how forcefully Hong Kong authorities order internet platforms to delete music.
Chen, the former head of public policy for Greater China at Meta, stated that if the government started giving platforms hundreds of links to remove daily, investor trust in Hong Kong would surely suffer
One – VOR News Image
YouTube Blocks Hong Kong Protest Anthem After Court Injunction Bans Song In The City
“That will hurt Hong Kong’s reputation as a leading financial center because we know how important a free flow of data and information means to a financial center,” he stated. “So the government should be very careful and be aware of some unintended consequences that may impact its economic recovery and investors’ confidence.”
Internet and social media services, such as YouTube, often have protocols to address government removal demands.
Demonstrators frequently sang “Glory to Hong Kong” during large anti-government rallies in 2019. The song was then incorrectly played as the city’s anthem during international athletic events, rather than China’s “March of the Volunteers,” causing confusion among city officials.
According to local media, authorities previously arrested several individuals who sang the song in public for other infractions, such as playing a musical instrument in public without a permit.
Pc Mag – VOR News Image
YouTube Blocks Hong Kong Protest Anthem After Court Injunction Bans Song In The City
Critics argue that barring the song’s broadcast or distribution further restricts free expression in the former British colony since Beijing initiated a crackdown following the 2019 demonstrations. They have also warned that the prohibition will disrupt the operations of major digital companies and harm the city’s appeal as a commercial hub.
SOURCE – (AP)
ROME — In an uncommon public challenge to Pope Francis’ leadership, 49 Vatican Museums employees have launched a class-action complaint with the Vatican administration, asking for higher seniority, leave, and overtime benefits.
The complaint, dated April 23 and published this weekend in Italian newspapers, also claimed that staff faced health and security hazards as a result of cost-cutting and apparent profit-generating activities at the museum, such as congestion and fewer security guards to keep tourists at bay.
pixabay – VOR News Image
Vatican Museums Staff Challenge The Pope With A Legal Bid For Better Terms And Treatment
An email seeking comment received no response from the Vatican spokesman or Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, chief of the City State administration that oversees the museums.
The complaint is the latest judicial challenge highlighting how the Vatican’s laws, regulations, and procedures frequently conflict with Italian and European principles. Recently, civil and criminal cases have revealed how employees, particularly lay Italian nationals, have little or no legal recourse outside the city state’s unique court system, an absolute monarchy in which Francis wields supreme executive, legislative, and judicial power.
Museum employees cited the Catholic Church’s social teaching and Francis’ appeals to employers to respect workers’ dignity when requesting better treatment in the class-action complaint that senior Vatican attorney Laura Sgro filed and signed on behalf of the 49 employees.
Pixabay – VOR news Image
Vatican Museums Staff Challenge The Pope With A Legal Bid For Better Terms And Treatment
They sought, among other things, greater transparency about how staff might develop, the reinstatement of seniority bonuses, and the Vatican’s adherence to Italian sick-day policies. According to the complaint, employees are currently required to stay at home all day, rather than just a few hours, to await a potential visit to ensure that they are not simply taking the day off.
According to Vatican labor standards, Verzaga has 30 days to react to the allegation. If no talks commence, Sgro can take the claims to the Vatican’s labor office in an attempt to reach a negotiated settlement, which might lead to a tribunal. However, the office can refuse to hear the case, and lawyers say this happens frequently, leaving the employees with no other options.
In recent instances before the Vatican tribunal, lawyers have indicated that they may seek to take employees’ grievances about the system to the European Court of Human Rights. The Holy See is neither a member of the court nor a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights. However, some lawyers believe the Vatican committed to maintaining European human rights standards when it ratified the European Union Monetary Convention in 2009.
CNN – VOR News Image
Vatican Museums Staff Challenge The Pope With A Legal Bid For Better Terms And Treatment
The Museums are one of the principal sources of money, funding the Holy See bureaucracy, which serves as the official authority for the Catholic Church. The museums, which have experienced significant financial losses as a result of COVID-19 closures and limitations, raised the price of a full-price ticket to 20 euros ($21.50) at the beginning of the year, up from 17 euros.
SOURCE – (AP)
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