China's digital censorship is spreading, report finds

Global Watch | 2025-09-18

A leak of over 100,000 internal documents has exposed how Geedge Networks, a Chinese company tied to the architect of China's infamous Great Firewall, is exporting its censorship and surveillance systems to governments across Asia and Africa, a report found.

The revelations show that China's digital authoritarianism is no longer confined within its borders, it is being sold as a service to regimes eager to control their populations, according to a report on the Wired news site.

The spread of Geedge Networks' systems is a reminder of the global reach of China's digital authoritarianism. By providing governments with tools to monitor, censor and control internet traffic, Geedge is enabling the suppression of free speech and the erosion of civil liberties on an unprecedented scale.

Exporting repression

At the heart of Geedge Networks' operations is the Tiangou Secure Gateway (TSG), a system that functions as a "Great Firewall in a box." Installed in telecom data centers, TSG allows governments to monitor, filter and block internet traffic on a national scale. Every connection is scrutinized and every user's activity can be tracked, Wired cited the documents as showing.

The leaked documents reveal that TSG captures metadata, such as the websites users visit and the devices they use and stores it in a database called TSG Galaxy. This data is accessible through a dashboard called Cyber Narrator, which gives government officials the ability to search for specific users or activities. For example, officials can identify who accessed banned websites, when they did so and from which device, Wired reported.

The system is not just about blocking websites. According to the documents, it can disrupt Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), throttle specific services like video streaming and even alter unencrypted web pages or downloads in transit. In some cases, it assigns "reputation scores" to users, restricting internet access for those who fail to meet certain thresholds.

The machinery of digital authoritarianism

In Myanmar, Geedge's system monitors tens of millions of simultaneous connections across 26 data centers, Wired said. Following the junta's ban on VPNs, the system was used to block circumvention tools on a massive scale. Leaked dashboards show the system's ability to track and disrupt internet usage, further tightening the government’s grip on information flow, it added.

Geedge Networks is exporting a model of governance that prioritizes control over freedom. According to Wired, the leaked documents reveal that Geedge's systems are designed to adapt and evolve. In Pakistan, the company repurposed existing infrastructure to deploy its platform, demonstrating how exported technologies can be weaponized for censorship.

The company's ambitions go beyond its current deployments, the report found. Geedge is actively developing new features, such as geofencing specific users, constructing relationship graphs based on app usage and injecting malware into internet traffic. These capabilities represent a dystopian vision of digital control, where governments can monitor and manipulate their citizens with ease.

The fight for internet freedom

The revelations about Geedge Networks should serve as a wake-up call for the global community. The spread of digital censorship and surveillance systems threatens the open and free internet, undermining democracy and human rights worldwide.

As China exports its Great Firewall to the world, the fight for internet freedom becomes a global challenge. Governments, human rights organizations and technology companies must work together to counter the spread of digital authoritarianism and ensure that technology is used to empower, not oppress.

The Great Firewall may have started in China, but its shadow now looms over the world. The question is: will the world push back?