Beware of Cell Phone Security Issues Outside of China

(Minghui.org) After I read a Chinese article on Minghui.org titled “My Thoughts on Cell Phone Security” by a practitioner in China, I think practitioners outside of China should also beware of the security concerns of cell phones.

Because there is no persecution of Falun Dafa outside of China on the surface, many practitioners may have neglected to take the issue of security breaches seriously. However, I want to share a few things that I know.

A few years ago, I often heard a coordinator complaining about the fact that no matter how hard they tried to keep their project confidential and limit their meetings to only a few people, the Chinese Communist Party always knew what they were doing. When I heard that, I immediately told them, “The reason is your cell phones.” But no one believed it.

Recently, another coordinator, who had recently come from China to the United States, requested all practitioners in his project submit their names and cell phone numbers for easier communication. The coordinator didn't realize that it may have caused serious security problems.

Many practitioners don't take the issue of cell phone security seriously and don't take adequate measures to protect their information.

Why Cell Phone Security Is Such A Big Concern

In “2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.,” a practitioner asked a question abut cell phone security:

Disciple: Some practitioners go back to China for a year or so, and then after returning they participate in our events, including Fa conferences. But they didn’t experience any persecution while they were in China. What should we make of this?

Master: This is worth thinking over. You know about how phones can be monitored… I can tell you that every mobile phone we carry on us is serving as a listening device. The CCP is sitting there listening in on even your casual conversations, and they hear everything clearly. Every Dafa disciple’s mobile phone is being monitored. So how could anyone think you could go undetected by them? And mobile phone calls are traced very quickly. As soon as you call someone they will get that number and will then start monitoring that phone as well. It’s very rare, if not impossible, for someone not to be identified by them. They will know about you as soon as you participate in a public activity. So I think there’s definitely something going on when someone can go back to China and nothing happens to him and everything is smooth.

If we don’t pay attention to security, we may unknowingly become the CCP’s informants. Back when there were no cell phones, it was hard for the CCP to recruit a spy because it was difficult to know one’s weakness that can be taken advantage of. However, in the current digital age, it is easy for the CCP to obtain people’s private information, such as their likings, and use it to manipulate and threaten people into becoming a spy. If the CCP breaches the phone of an important member of an important project, that person may have unknowingly supplied the CCP with the information it needs, causing serious consequences.

Some practitioners may think that we are out of China and out of the CCP's reach. They feel that even if the CCP collects our information, there is nothing it can do to us. I don't agree and see their thinking as irresponsible, because we can never imagine how many dirty tricks the CCP may deploy to take advantage of our information.

To me, it's like going into a battle without a bulletproof vest because we think we won't get hit in a hail of bullets. Or like leaving a large amount of cash unprotected in a conspicuous place and thinking no one would take it. As the old saying goes, “It's easy to dodge an open spear but hard to defend a hidden arrow.” We shouldn't allow the evil to get hold of more information.

What Are the Possible Consequences?

Just imagine, if the CCP is able to obtain our contact information, and through our cell phones collect all of our private information and networks, what will they be capable of doing? They might make use of our conflicts, suspicion, and jealousy to divide us, to destroy our ongoing projects, and even try to lead our projects along the direction they desire.

Some practitioners may think that if we do not have xinxing problems, no one can make use of our information. However, since we are human beings, no one is attachment-free. It is unnecessary to suffer the possible difficulties caused by lapses in cell phone security.

Thus, I urge fellow practitioners to be alert to the cell phone security problem and take actions to prevent information from leaking through our phones. For example, we can try to minimize our cell phone usage. We can avoid discussing important projects or concerns via cell phones and talk face to face instead. If possible, we should try not to bring our cell phones with us while we go out to avoid possible tracking.

Above are my suggestions. It sounds difficult to stay away from a cell phone. However, I know some people live well without one.

I hope more practitioners can become more aware of this issue in order to protect what we are doing without being breached by the evil forces. The most important goal is to save more people.