China has built the most sophisticated system of total population control in human history. The testing ground for this experiment is Xinjiang, a region in the northwest of the country home to the Turkic-speaking Uyghurs. Digital technology has given the state unprecedented powers to monitor and punish: from ubiquitous facial-recognition CCTV cameras to internet surveillance and algorithms that can supposedly predict future crimes. Say or do something that displeases the authorities, and you could be sent to a camp or disappear without a trace. American journalist Jeffrey Cain visited Xinjiang and spoke with dozens of Uyghur refugees—researchers, activists, and ordinary people who have managed to escape the police state. This book is a unique account of life inside a dystopia and a powerful warning about how authoritarian regimes, in alliance with tech corporations, threaten our freedom.

Author: Jeffrey Cain