Beijing is allegedly using audio spying devices on dual-plate Chinese-Hong Kong vehicles to gather information.
Apple Daily reports the eavesdropping devices were originally installed under the name “inspection and quarantine cards” back in July 2007. The Shenzhen Inspection and Quarantine Bureau installed the devices free of charge to thousands of vehicles across Hong Kong.
The devices are about the size of a PDA, screwed into the car’s front window.
People in Hong Kong, in particular criminals, began to notice something was awry when the authorities were able to pick out cars carrying illegal goods across borders without problem or hesitation.
“For every ten cars we ran we only had [smuggled goods] in three or four to reduce the risk, but the border agents caught all of them. The accuracy was unreal!” one smuggler told Apple Daily.
Zheng Liming, an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at City University in Hong Kong, took a look at the listening device and determined that it was indeed an eavesdropping device.
Drivers in Hong Kong are clearly upset over the gross violation of privacy. One driver told The Daily, “Even if we hired a maid, we are not allowed to install a surveillance camera in her room due to privacy issues! You can’t just do whatever you want.”
