MIT TURNS OUT TO HAVE HELPED CHINA DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY TO TRACK UYGHURS

Tang Xiaowu (left), founder of Shangtang Technology Co.Ltd., and Leo Rafael Reif (right), president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), pose for a photo at the signing ceremony. April 24, 2018, Shanghai
An article published by The Washington Free Beacon on Aug. 8 titled "How MIT Helped Chinese Companies Develop Technology to Track Uyghurs" received a lot of attention.
The article shows that Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the world's leading universities in the United States, is conducting research on facial recognition technology with money donated by the Chinese company SenseTime, which has been sanctioned twice by the US government.
According to the article, SenseTime, one of China's largest facial recognition technology companies, made a secret donation to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2018. Of the 22 articles funded by this donation, 20 were related to neural networks related to facial recognition technology.
Thomas McKenna, the author of this article, told RFA radio: "The Shangtang Company was blacklisted by the U.S. government in 2019 for its involvement in the Uyghur genocide. It was blacklisted again in 2021, but not only did MIT not return their money, but it continued its research into the facial recognition technology and artificial neural networks that Shangtang used to track Uyghurs."
The New York Times reported in 2019 that Shangtang's facial recognition technology was used to track Uyghurs, and that year the Trump administration blacklisted the company. In 2021, the Biden administration banned U.S. investment in the company. From the time the Massachusetts Institute of Technology blacklisted Shangtang in 2019, it continued its research with the Chinese company's money until the end of 2021. In addition, two researchers from Zhejiang University, who are in charge of research projects commissioned by the Chinese military, also conducted research at the university and published papers on "artificial neural networks."
Mr. Thomas McKenna added: "I can't say for sure why MIT is still working with a blacklisted company and hasn't refunded their money. But in general, I think American universities want to take advantage of Chinese companies' hi-tech, because even if people know that there is genocide in China, they don't mind. They know they may not pay attention, so they continue to cooperate with Chinese companies and even Chinese military universities, which not only helped China commit genocide, but also helped China strengthen its military power.
Mr. Charles Rollett, an analyst at surveillance systems research firm IPVM, answered the radio's questions on this issue by email. In the letter, he stressed that American universities and companies that advocate for "democracy and racial equality" should carefully consider partnering with companies that provide surveillance systems for Uyghurs in China, because such software would directly contradict the values of these institutions.
He wrote in the letter "Unlike China, the US does not directly control universities, particularly private universities like MIT,". When the partnership with SenseTime was signed in 2018, the US had not yet sanctioned such surveillance companies and there were no guidelines on how to deal with such companies. The authorities therefore easily overlooked the ethical and human rights risks of such cooperation. Back then, even schools in the US didn't think much of what AI would be used for in China. Obviously, any partnership between MIT and Chinese companies must include ethical and human rights safeguards. "However, I think the emergence of this kind of collaboration awakens institutions like MIT."