What do you do to keep sources secure?

As my colleague Li Yuan noted, WeChat is a reporter’s best friend in China. Everyone spends huge amounts of time on it. But WeChat is also closely monitored, so when a sensitive topic comes up, I try to guide people to use more secure apps.

That can also be a problem, though, because setting up an encrypted messaging app can alert the authorities to the person. In light of that, personal meetings also work. Often that means leaving the phone at home, since a device’s microphone can become a listening device. There are also special Faraday bags, which block communications signals and can help you go dark with your phone on you. Sometimes all the surveillance here makes me want to put one on my head.

In some cases, it’s not possible to get around the government, and you have to make a judgment call about whether the source understands the risks and how severe the punishment might be. Sometimes we go places and it’s not possible to safely interview people, so we don’t. The government frequently wins.

What is the oddest surveillance tech you’ve seen in China?

China is a gadget-loving nation. Often technology that doesn’t totally work is embraced with alacrity. I think my favorite example was the facial-recognition sunglasses that made the rounds last year. The police were rocking these glasses, with a camera that plugged into a smartphone-like minicomputer. The idea was the glasses could identify people as the police looked at them. When I got to try them on, I found out they didn’t work all that well.