A massive leak of more than 500 gigabytes of source code and internal documents has revealed how China is exporting a censorship technology modelled after its so-called Great Firewall to other countries. The information, first reported by technology site Tom's Hardware, shows that Beijing’s internet control systems are no longer confined within its borders.
The Great Firewall is a highly sophisticated system designed to filter online content, monitor traffic, and silence discussion on topics sensitive to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Critics argue that the export of such tools poses a direct threat to global free speech, creating a ready-made blueprint for surveillance and repression elsewhere.
From Domestic Control to Global Business
The leaked files show that Geedge Networks, a Chinese company, has been selling its commercial platform, the Tiangou Secure Gateway (TSG), to foreign governments. This turnkey system, which includes both hardware and software, can be deployed at telecom data centres and managed by local authorities. It enables large-scale filtering of internet traffic, detection of virtual private networks (VPNs), and even tailoring of censorship to individual users.
Countries named in the leak include Pakistan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan. Myanmar’s state telecom reportedly used Geedge’s hardware to monitor up to 81 million connections simultaneously. In Pakistan, authorities deployed it for real-time blanket surveillance of mobile networks.
Surveillance as a Profitable Export
The revelations come just after Amnesty International published a report highlighting what it called the “collusion” of international firms in enabling surveillance in Pakistan. The report named Geedge alongside companies from Germany, the U.S., France, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. Amnesty described the trade as “a vast and profitable economy of oppression,” accusing states and businesses of failing their international human rights obligations.
For Beijing, this points to more beyond just technology exports; it reflects the extension of its political model. By equipping partner states with censorship infrastructure, China is seen as actively promoting governance systems that suppress dissent and control information flows.
Industry Spin vs. Global Concerns
On its website, Geedge described the Tiangou Secure Gateway as “a full-featured, one-stop solution for network perimeter security” suitable for large data centres and backbone networks. It highlights the platform’s adaptability and flexibility, framing it as a defensive cybersecurity tool.
But experts remain sceptical. Alan Woodward, a computer scientist at the University of Surrey, warned on X that such monitoring systems create “a major security single point of failure when governments apply them to the Internet.” Researchers like Salman Rafi Sheikh of SOAS University of London argue that Beijing’s involvement abroad is less about cybersecurity and more about exporting its closed political system.
Why It Matters
The leak underscores how censorship is no longer a domestic Chinese issue but a global export commodity. Governments facing unrest or dissent now have access to a ready-made toolkit for digital control, backed by Chinese firms. The implications for free expression, privacy, and democracy worldwide are stark: what began as China’s internal firewall is steadily morphing into a global wall against free speech.
