Erased: The curious case of UyghurEdit++

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Erased: The Curious Case of UyghurEdit++"

Podcast Title: Click Here
Host/Author: Recorded Future News
Episode Title: Erased: The Curious Case of UyghurEdit++
Release Date: August 15, 2025

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Introduction: The Threat to Uyghur Culture

In the episode titled "Erased: The Curious Case of UyghurEdit++," host Dena Temple-Raston delves into the alarming efforts by the Chinese government to suppress and erase Uyghur culture both within China and globally. The discussion centers around the discovery made by Rebecca Brown, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, revealing how China extends its surveillance and oppression beyond its borders.

Key Points:

• Historical Resilience: The Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority in Xinjiang, have preserved their unique identity and culture for over three millennia, resisting centralized control despite enduring various Chinese dynasties.
• Xi Jinping's Authoritarian Measures: Since Xi Jinping's rise to power in 2013, there has been an intensified crackdown on Uyghurs, characterized by mass arrests, re-education camps, and stringent surveillance measures using modern technology.

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Modern Tools of Oppression: Surveillance and Control

Rebecca Brown explains how the Chinese government leverages advanced digital tools to monitor and control the Uyghur population.

Notable Quotes:

• Rebecca Brown [03:20]: "China really views any pushback to the narrative of the Chinese Communist Party as a threat."
• Rebecca Brown [03:53]: "In modern times, your phone is with you almost all the time. It is like your digital fingerprints. Everything you do, everywhere you go, if someone has access to that, they know probably more about you than your closest friends and family members."

Key Points:

• Mandatory Surveillance Apps: China mandated the installation of a special app on Uyghurs' smartphones, purportedly for safety, but it granted authorities extensive access to users' location and activity data.
• Comprehensive Monitoring: Beyond phones, the surveillance infrastructure included QR codes, GPS tracking in vehicles, and Wi-Fi surveillance, aiming to exert total control over Uyghurs' lives.
• Global Reach: The Chinese government extended its surveillance efforts to Uyghurs abroad, using spyware to monitor activists and diaspora communities, effectively turning exile into a state of continued oppression.

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The UyghurEdit++ Incident: A Case Study in Cyber Oppression

A pivotal moment discussed in the episode is the infiltration of UyghurEdit++, a language tool designed to help Uyghurs preserve their language and culture.

Notable Quotes:

• Rebecca Brown [09:25]: "Imagine reading that line after clicking a link, thinking you were helping your community."
• Raidat Kenji [14:36]: "When I released Uyghur, I also released its source code. Therefore, it was easy to damage the software with this malware."

Timeline of Events:

1. Malicious Email Campaign [08:06 - 09:25]:

   • A senior member of the World Uyghur Congress received an email purportedly from an ally offering a new tool, UyghurEdit++, to help preserve the Uyghur language.
   • The email contained a link to a Google Drive folder with a free download of UyghurEdit++.
   • Upon downloading, users encountered a notification stating, "You've been targeted by a government-backed attacker," triggering alarms.

2. Citizen Lab's Response [09:42 - 10:45]:

   • Rebecca Brown and her team at Citizen Lab received numerous urgent calls from activists concerned about the breach.
   • Initial analysis revealed the email was sent from a suspicious Gmail address impersonating a legitimate partner organization.
   • A colleague skilled in code identified the presence of a Trojan horse within the downloaded file.

3. Technical Breakdown [12:10 - 13:49]:

   • First Wave: Initial malware installations conducted reconnaissance to verify the target's identity and location.
   • Second Wave: Advanced malware monitored keystrokes, stole files, and provided real-time access to the infected device.
   • Impact: Had the malware been fully executed, Chinese authorities would have accessed sensitive information, effectively compromising the activists’ digital lives.

4. Developer’s Response [14:10 - 16:51]:

   • Raidat Kenji, developer of UyghurEdit++, was alerted to the breach and confirmed that his original program was uncompromised.
   • He expressed shock and frustration, highlighting that releasing the source code made it easier for attackers to inject malware.
   • Raidat Kenji [16:24]: "To erase the Uyghur identity and to steal information about the Uyghurs. No one else does it except the spies of the Chinese Communist Party."

5. Restoring Trust [16:10 - 17:05]:

   • Kenji moved UyghurEdit++ to GitHub, ensuring the source code was transparent and secure.
   • Raidat Kenji [16:41]: "I uploaded Uyghur edit on GitHub. Its source code is open for everyone to benefit from and view. There is no hidden malware in what I've shared."
   • The episode underscores the importance of vigilance and open-source solutions in combating cyber threats.

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Implications and Future Outlook

Rebecca Brown emphasizes that China's digital encroachment poses a broader threat to cultural preservation and freedom of information globally.

Notable Quotes:

• Rebecca Brown [17:05]: "People want to think that these digital assets, that if it is outside of China, that it's safe and that they can maintain the history and the culture and the language. But more and more, we're seeing that China is still trying to reach outside their borders in order to have that control."
• Rebecca Brown [17:44]: "What I'm hoping is that we won't see that fear and that we won't see people give in to it, and that we'll see almost a pushback and maybe even an increase in creation of tools."

Key Points:

• Digital Erasure as a Modern Threat: The erasure of Uyghur culture is not limited to physical oppression but extends into the digital realm, where access to cultural tools can be weaponized.
• Global Vigilance Needed: As China’s surveillance efforts reach beyond its borders, there is a critical need for international collaboration to protect digital assets and cultural identity tools.
• Encouraging Resilience: The episode concludes with a call to action for the Uyghur community and allies to continue developing and sharing tools that preserve their language and heritage, resisting digital oppression.

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Conclusion: The Battle for Cultural Survival in the Digital Age

"Erased: The Curious Case of UyghurEdit++" presents a compelling narrative on how modern authoritarian regimes exploit technology to undermine and erase cultural identities. Through the detailed exploration of the UyghurEdit++ incident, the podcast highlights the intricate and insidious methods employed by the Chinese government to maintain control over the Uyghur population both domestically and internationally.

By featuring expert insights from Rebecca Brown and firsthand accounts from developer Raidat Kenji, the episode not only exposes the vulnerabilities in digital tools meant to preserve culture but also underscores the resilience and adaptability of the Uyghur community in the face of such threats. The call for increased vigilance, transparency, and the development of secure, open-source solutions resonates as a crucial strategy in safeguarding cultural heritage against modern-day erasure.

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Additional Notes:

• Production Credits: This episode was written and produced by Sean Powers, Lucas Riley, Megan Dietre, Zach Hirsch, Erica Gaeda, and Dena Temple-Raston, and edited by Karen Duffin.
• Special Thanks: Esma Memti Meme and Arslan He Diet.

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For More Information: Listeners interested in cyber security and intelligence can explore Recorded Future News' sister publication, The Record, offering comprehensive cyber news coverage from global reporters.

Transcript

[Dena Temple]

From Recorded Future News and prx, this is Click Here. So tell me how you guys got involved. The bat phone went off. What happened? How did you guys know it did.

[Rebecca Brown]

It did.

[Dena Temple]

Do you guys have a bat phone?

[Rebecca Brown]

Well, it's very similar to a bat phone.

[Dena Temple]

From Recorded Future News. Welcome back to prx. I'm Dena Temple, and this is Click Here's Mic Drop, an extended cut of an interview we think you'll enjoy. We're continuing our series on authoritarianism and specifically the many ways Beijing authorities have worked to erase Uyghur culture and how that might affect the rest of us, too. So today we're talking to Rebecca Brown, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, a digital rights watchdog at the University of Toronto. And not so long ago, she and her team made a chilling discovery that China isn't just spying on Uyghurs at home, but anywhere they are in the world. We look at how China is doing it and the ways in which researchers like Rebecca are trying to stop them. Stay with us.

[Lizzie O'Leary]

Elon Musk, Doge and Donald Trump are weaving a web of technological corruption.

[Unnamed Industry Expert]

Suddenly, the eyes of the industry are open to things that had been obvious to lots of other people for months. Isn't it a conflict of interest that the President of the United States who regulates crypto has his own coin?

[Lizzie O'Leary]

I'm Lizzie o', Leary, the host of what Next? Tbd, Slate's podcast about tech, power and the future. What Next TBD covers the latest on how Silicon Valley is changing our government and our lives. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dena Temple]

I'm Dina templewest, and this is Click. Here's Mic Drop. These days, about 12 million Uyghurs live in Xinjiang, a region in China's far northwest. But they've lived in Central Asia for 3 thousands of years. They've outlasted emperors, endured dynasties like the Shang, the Tang, and the Ming. But Rebecca Brown says they've never quite bowed to Beijing.

[Rebecca Brown]

They were very far away from Beijing, kind of very remote. They always had their own identity and their own culture, and they did not want to be part of the centralized system.

[Dena Temple]

They're Muslims. They speak their own language. All of which is to say Uyghurs are outliers. And for much of the last century, that was tolerated. Until 2013, delegates cast their ballots for.

[Rebecca Brown]

China's next president, now officially one of the most powerful men in the world, Xi Jinping.

[Dena Temple]

When Chinese leader Xi Jinping took power, he launched what he called a people's war on what they deemed as separatism minorities like the Uyghurs found themselves in the crosshairs.

[Rebecca Brown]

China really views any pushback to the narrative of the Chinese Communist Party as a threat.

[Dena Temple]

Beijing flooded Xinjiang with police. They banned Ramadan celebrations. They arrested more than a million people and put them in camps, calling it RE education. But this wasn't just old school authoritarianism. This time, they're also wielding modern tools for oppression, things like smartphones and spyware.

[Rebecca Brown]

In modern times, your phone is with you almost all the time. It is like your digital fingerprints. Everything you do, everywhere you go, if someone has access to that, they know probably more about you than your closest friends and family members.

[Dena Temple]

Among other things, China rolled out a special app and made it mandatory to download.

[Rebecca Brown]

They said it was for safety, but would allow the authorities access to information on your phone about what you're doing in your location and where you are. It was kind of a campaign saying, you need to install this. This needs to be on your phone. And then, you know, checkpoints and random checks to make sure that it was installed.

[Dena Temple]

And then they went further. QR codes outside homes, GPS track and cars. They began surveilling WI fi, the kind of surveillance you can do on a territory that you control. But then the Chinese government spread their surveillance web beyond their own borders, and they started targeting Uyghurs abroad.

[Rebecca Brown]

The next extension of surveillance is not just people within the control, but people who've left or maybe who have family. They want to find out who they're talking to. How is information getting in and out?

[Dena Temple]

Because it wasn't just about controlling how people live their lives.

[Rebecca Brown]

They wanted it to be seen as, oh, no, we're all one nation and we're bettering the population, and this is voluntary and everyone's happy here. And so whenever information would get out that countered that narrative, they wanted to know how it was getting out and to whom.

[Dena Temple]

Even Uyghurs who've managed to flee the country aren't safe. More than half a million Uyghurs live outside China today. Some joined advocacy groups like the World Uyghur Congress. But exile doesn't necessarily mean escape. Even oceans away, Beijing's reach can be uncanny.

[Rebecca Brown]

There were reports of different campaigns that would actually find flaws in operating systems of both iPhones and androids in order to remotely install spyware on phones.

[Dena Temple]

And the entry point, not state run news, not political pamphlets, cultural lifelines turned into weapons.

[Rebecca Brown]

It was targeting websites that Uyghurs would traditionally visit.

[Dena Temple]

Websites hosting Qurans, Uyghur dictionaries, poetry archives, harmless on the surface until you clicked.

[Rebecca Brown]

An app that you would install on your phone because you know it's of interest and it would be beneficial and it's helpful, especially if you're living overseas, if you're, you know, one of these communities living in exile and you're trying to stay connected to your culture, but.

[Dena Temple]

You'D be doing the opposite, you'd be inviting surveillance into your life. What they didn't know is that they were letting the Chinese government just waltz into their pockets as well. And that's the strategy. Undermine the tools meant to preserve weaker identity.

[Rebecca Brown]

There's a lot that can be discovered about you by having that type of access. More than just being able to see via surveillance cameras where people are or just knowing which house you live in. There's just level of information about a person's life by having access to their information on a computer or on a phone.

[Dena Temple]

This kind of attack serves a dual purpose.

[Rebecca Brown]

This type of attack is especially harmful because not only is it feeding into the surveillance engine, but it is supporting kind of that goal of erasure. Because now, once this comes to light, people can be very afraid of these tools that can be used to help maintain their cultural identity and maintain their language because they don't know, is this being weaponized or is this going to harm me or can I trust this?

[Dena Temple]

This isn't just conjecture. A few months ago, in March of this year, a senior member of the World Uyghur Congress received an email. The message claimed to be from an ally, someone offering help. A fellow activist who said a developer had created a new tool, something meant to help Uyghurs in exile write and preserve their language. The program was called Uyghur Edit, a word processor designed to help people type in Uyghur with a built in spell check.

[Rebecca Brown]

And so this was meant to be perfect. It's tailor made. It can make sure you've spelled things correctly and that you can write, you know, exactly as they want to when you're not trying.

[Dena Temple]

The person reaching out said they needed someone to test it.

[Rebecca Brown]

This email said, hey, here we have this piece of software that was created by an anonymous developer who wants to help the Uyghur community. It's a language tool, but we don't know how to test it. Can you please, you know, test it and tell us, is this helpful so we can share and help the community?

[Dena Temple]

Attached was a link to a Google Drive folder and inside a free download. But then something strange happened.

[Rebecca Brown]

They got these Google notifications saying you've been Targeted by a government backed attack.

[Dena Temple]

You've been targeted by a government backed attacker. Imagine reading that line after clicking a link, thinking you were helping your community. The activists didn't hesitate. They picked up the phone, that bat phone, and called Citizen Lab.

[Rebecca Brown]

We got multiple calls all at once saying, hey, something big is going on. What should we do? What does this mean? And when something like that happens, we jump into action.

[Dena Temple]

At face value, the request appeared legit. Uyghur Edit is a real program used and trusted by Uyghur speakers around the world. But when they look closer, they realize the email was suspicious. The sender claimed to be from a group that regularly worked with the World Uyghur Congress. But when they looked closer, it was sent from.

[Rebecca Brown]

Not the official email. It was sent from another Gmail address that was trying to impersonate someone.

[Dena Temple]

The file was sent to one of Rebecca's colleagues, someone who specialized in the kind of code Uyghur Edit was written in. And he started looking for more clues.

[Rebecca Brown]

He kind of knew instantly what to look for. And I think he was able to figure it out in a matter of minutes, like, oh, okay, I know what this is. I know what we need to look for.

[Dena Temple]

What they found was a Trojan horse. When we come back, we'll explain how it worked. Stay with us. This episode of Click Here is brought to you by Tess Bros. A small business built by Tesla owners for Tesla owners. They know the quirks, the charms and the little frustrations, like that shiny chrome trim that feels so last decade. Every product starts with a conversation and with their community. What's bugging you? What do you wish you could change? Testbros listens and then makes it happen. So if you want to customize, protect, or just make your Tesla work a little better for you, check out Testbros. They're in the business of solving the problems that only Tesla drivers really understand. Test Bros are giving the Tesla community tools that add real value and make your Tesla more personal, more empowering, and more yours. Go to tessbros.com and use the code POD15 for 15% off your first order. That's TESBROS. T-E-S-B-R-O-S.com and use the code pod15 at checkout.

[Unnamed Radiolab Host]

@ Radiolab, we love nothing more than nerding out about science, neuroscience, chemistry, but.

[Rebecca Brown]

But we don't do also like to get into other kinds of stories. Stories about policing or politics, country music, hockey, sex of bugs.

[Unnamed Radiolab Host]

Regardless of whether we're looking at science or not science we bring a rigorous curiosity to get you the answers and.

[Rebecca Brown]

Hopefully make you see the world anew.

[Unnamed Radiolab Host]

Radiolab Adventures on the Edge of what WE THINK we know Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dena Temple]

The download appeared to be safe on the surface, but once opened, it triggered a sequence of malware installations. The first wave included reconnaissance.

[Rebecca Brown]

To confirm that you're on the right computer, look for the username and the geography, and confirm that everything is right.

[Dena Temple]

Once the malware confirmed it was inside the intended target's device, a second wave of attacks began.

[Rebecca Brown]

A more capable type of malware that would be able to do things like monitor keystrokes and steal files and do a lot of that real time monitoring of what was going on on the laptop as well.

[Dena Temple]

Had the activist gone all the way through with the installation, the hackers would have essentially owned their computer.

[Rebecca Brown]

If they had run it on the computer, if they had taken this email at its word that, oh, we're trying to help the community, it would have ended up giving access to their computer to the Chinese government.

[Dena Temple]

It would have handed the Chinese government a live feed of everything they typed. They reached out to Rideak Kenji, the developer of Uyghur Edit, to let him know his program was being hijacked. And he said he was dumbstruck by the breach.

[Raidat Kenji]

When I first heard this news, I was very shocked because I thought I had accidentally put a virus myself into this program. But after hearing the explanation from the staff at the Citizen Lab, I heard that this Uyghur application I made was free of any problems.

[Dena Temple]

This is Raidat. And the thing was, he hadn't really been hacked. Exactly. Instead, his work had just been exploited.

[Raidat Kenji]

When I released Uyghur, I also released its source code. Therefore, it was easy to damage the software with this malware. It was filled with malicious software, including malware that stole information from Uyghur organizations and Uyghur activists. I cursed the ones responsible for that.

[Dena Temple]

What Rebecca and her colleagues at the Citizen Lab uncovered wasn't technically sophisticated. It was blunt, almost sloppy. But that didn't matter, because the power of the attack wasn't in its code. It was in the sophistication of their approach. The attackers had taken their time. They'd built fake websites, they'd registered fake domains and faked an entire identity, all to make a malicious file look like a gift.

[Rebecca Brown]

Almost a year ago, they had started setting up infrastructure also to try and impersonate this developer. They created domains in his name. There was just a lot of thought and intentionality behind this attack. That you don't always see.

[Dena Temple]

You go to all this trouble because if the code doesn't catch you, the fear just might. If even a legitimate cultural tool like Uyghur Edit can be weaponized, then it would make people wonder what's safe.

[Raidat Kenji]

To erase the Uyghur identity and to steal information about the Uyghurs. No one else does it except the spies of the Chinese Communist Party. This is simply a common tool.

[Dena Temple]

So Raidet went back online and posted a message. If you want to access Uyghur Edit, download it straight from GitHub. No shortcuts, no cloud folders, no mystery links.

[Raidat Kenji]

I uploaded uyghur edit on GitHub. Its source code is open for everyone to benefit from and view. There is no hidden malware in what I've shared.

[Dena Temple]

He's doing what he can to try to restore people's trust, to encourage them to keep using tools that keep Uyghurs around the world still connected to their culture, their language, and to each other. But the threat isn't going away.

[Rebecca Brown]

People want to think that these digital assets, that if it is outside of China, that it's safe and that they can maintain the history and the culture and the language. But more and more, we're seeing that China is still trying to reach outside their borders in order to have that control. So that way they can try for that complete erasure.

[Dena Temple]

Because this is what erasure looks like now. It doesn't always come with police raids or prison camps. Sometimes it arrives in your inbox wrapped in good intentions, kind of whispering. Don't trust the things that connect you to your culture.

[Rebecca Brown]

What I'm hoping is that we won't see that fear and that we won't see people give in to it, and that we'll see almost a pushback and maybe even an increase. And in creation of tools.

[Dena Temple]

Rebecca wants Uyghurs to keep building, to keep sharing, to keep fighting for their language and their history, digitally and otherwise. From recorded future news, this has been Click Here's Mic Drop. It was written and produced by Sean Powers, Lucas Riley, Megan Dietre, Zach Hirsch, Erica Gaeda and Many me Dena Temple Reston. It was edited by Karen Duffin. Special thanks today to Esma Memti Meme and Arslan he diet. We'll be back on Tuesday with more of our series. Have a great weekend.

[Lizzie O'Leary]

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[Unnamed AM/PM Customer]

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[Lizzie O'Leary]

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[Unnamed AM/PM Customer]

When it's Cravenient okay, like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter, available right down the street at am, pm. Or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at am, pm.

[Lizzie O'Leary]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

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[Lizzie O'Leary]

Crave, which is anything from am, pm.

[Unnamed AM/PM Customer]

What more could you want? Stop by ampm, where the snacks and drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's Cravenience ampm. Too much good stuff.

[Unnamed Record Host]

Looking for more of the cyber security and intelligence coverage you get on? Click here. Then check out our sister publication the Record. From Recorded Future News, you'll get breaking cyber news from reporters in New York, Washington, London, and Kyiv, among others, and you'll see for yourself why it attracts hundreds of thousands of page views every month. Just go to the Record Media.