A Chinese police surveillance platform tracking foreign residents in the northern city of Zhangjiakou has come to light, revealing extensive data collection practices targeting non-Chinese nationals. The system, discovered earlier this year by cybersecurity researcher and journalist Marc Hofer, offers a detailed snapshot of how authorities monitor foreign individuals within China.
The dashboard, known as the “Dynamic Control Platform for Overseas Personnel,” listed nearly 12,000 individuals, including fugitives, residents from Hong Kong and Taiwan, more than 300 foreign journalists, and other foreigners living in or associated with Zhangjiakou. The city co-hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics and is a known ski destination. The platform stored comprehensive personal information such as nationality, birth date, sex, marital status, address, occupation, and sometimes religion. It also tracked movements through surveillance cameras in public spaces like intersections, markets, shopping malls, and even religious sites such as a mosque.
Mr. Hofer came across the system while examining Chinese surveillance infrastructure and was surprised to find his own photograph, passport number, and cellphone number used during his time in China included in the database. User access logs showed involvement from multiple police stations, suggesting official use by the Zhangjiakou Public Security Bureau and possibly other city police departments. Further investigation linked the platform to Origin Dynamic, a Beijing-based company partially owned by the local government of Xiancheng city in Jiangsu Province, which had filed a patent for a nearly identical system in 2023.
The platform aggregated data from various sources beyond traditional police channels, including medical records, utility bills, travel itineraries (with flight and train details), and consumer activity. For instance, movement patterns of a Mongolian woman were logged as she visited residential complexes, shops, and restaurants. It also cataloged international students predominantly from Pakistan and India attending Hebei North University, detailing their studies, religion, and presence on campus via facial recognition.
Entries were categorized based on nationality and geopolitical considerations, with foreign residents from countries in the “Five Eye Alliance” (Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States) grouped separately. Other “key countries” such as Egypt, Iran, Israel, Morocco, Pakistan, and Sudan received distinct attention. Residents from Hong Kong and Taiwan were grouped uniquely, reflecting sensitivities related to China’s political claims and internal security policies. The platform included tags for “key persons,” a term often used by Chinese authorities to denote individuals viewed as potential threats, activists, or fugitives.
The system’s data included records of legal infractions, such as fines for failing to update address registrations and citations for unauthorized teaching. Officials contributing data were identified, including one officer named Zhang Jinglong, who had been publicly recognized for his role in monitoring and influencing online public opinion.
Experts highlighted concerns about the scale and integration of such surveillance in China. Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Asia Director, Maya Wang, described the platform as unprecedented in its data integration and a reflection of China’s limited legal safeguards against police overreach. Cybersecurity specialists noted this case was symptomatic of a broader phenomenon of “surveillance sprawl,” where multiple vendors and security agencies produce overlapping platforms, increasing risks of data misconfiguration and exposure.
The platform was reportedly active and updated as recently as April 2026, although some database fields suggested it was still under development. It was taken offline after Mr. Hofer began downloading its data in early 2023. Requests for comment from Origin Dynamic and the Zhangjiakou Public Security Bureau went unanswered, leaving open questions about how the platform has been employed operationally.
This revelation provides a rare glimpse into the degree to which Chinese authorities utilize big data and surveillance technologies to monitor foreign residents within their borders, underscoring the broader context of state security measures under Xi Jinping’s administration.