Welcome to UnderReported China

Greetings and welcome to UnderReported China, a new substack tracking human rights, technology, and foreign influence related to the People’s Republic.

I’m a researcher and consultant who has worked on human rights, technology, and media freedom related to China for over 20 years, much of that time at Freedom House, a U.S.-based non-profit, where I served as China research director until early last year. You can read more about me and my past work here.

In each post, I’ll be including my own original analysis, but also seeking to spotlight new research by others that may not be receiving the attention it deserves and importantly, mentioning political and religious prisoners in China whom the world must not forget.

For my inaugural issue, I’m including a detailed analysis of what we might see—or not—in terms of PRC-linked disinformation and interference campaigns in the run-up to the U.S. elections in November. This is the first in a series of posts examining this question and potential scenarios, tactics, and targets. My comments draw on my own current and past research, as well as real-world case studies and incidents from around the globe that have come to light thanks to cybersecurity, government, news, academic, and thinktank reports.

My hope is to offer a nuanced, informed perspective to help policymakers, technology firms, civil society, and ordinary voters navigate this potential threat and enhance democratic resilience ahead of a pivotal vote. Today’s post focuses on the likelihood of presidential or Congressional races being targeted—and how.  

I’ve also spotlighted recent NGO and thinktank reports on grassroots dissent, disinformation, Tibetan Buddhism, and CCP influence in Indonesia; and a reminder that prominent lawyer Gao Zhisheng remains disappeared on the 7th anniversary of his last detention.

Check out this first post here.

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