China's influence grows through Digital Silk Road Initiative.

Guest Charity Wright, Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert in Recorded Future's Insikt Group, joins Dave to discuss her research "China’s Digital Colonialism: Espionage and Repression Along the Digital Silk Road". Through the Digital Silk Road Initiative (DSR), announced in 2015, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is building an expansive global data infrastructure and exporting surveillance technologies to dictators and illiberal regimes throughout the developing world, in some cases trading technology for access to sensitive user data and facial recognition intelligence. Domestically, China uses this type of technology to assert authority over its citizens, censor the media, quell protests, and systematically oppress religious minorities. Now, over 80 countries are enabled to do the same with Chinese surveillance technology. The research can be found here: China’s Digital Colonialism: Espionage and Repression Along the Digital Silk Road