US embassy vetting of Chinese staff ‘arrogant and aggressive’
- Ex-embassy staff say they were pressured to provide private and personal information or risk losing their jobs
- Former employees tell Global Times their treatment amounts to excessive data collection and an invasion of privacy
US diplomatic offices in China are vetting local employees, requiring them to disclose information about their friends, family and neighbours, as well as provide their social media accounts, according to a mainland media report on Sunday.
In a social media post, Li accused the US embassy and its consulates of pressuring employees to provide private and personal information, or risk losing their jobs. The post sparked a lively online discussion.
Global Times interviewed Li and other former staff, and also published what appears to be an 11-page bilingual US embassy questionnaire. The Chinese employees said some of the information requested amounts to excessive data collection and an invasion of privacy.
The interviewees also accused their former employers of hiring “security investigators” – Chinese nationals with experience in legal and political organs or investigative operations – to pressure them into giving up personal information.
The probing of social media accounts, such as WeChat, and email addresses was described as “arrogant, aggressive and made people feel sick”.