The Chinese authorities, using infrastructure for tracking the spread of the coronavirus, disrupted a protest by bank depositors by turning their health code red. Reuters reports.
Depositors from across China planned to travel to Henan province to protest a two-month ban on access to deposits exceeding $178 million.
Earlier rights groups warned that China could use its extensive COVID surveillance infrastructure to suppress dissent. Without a green code in the smartphone health app, citizens lose access to public transport, public places, and lose the right to travel freely across the country.
“They are putting digital shackles on us,” said one of the affected depositors.
Another interviewee planned to travel to the protest in the capital of Henan province. He said that, because of the restrictions, his son might not be able to attend school.
“I can’t do anything, I can’t go anywhere. They treat you as if you’re a criminal. This violates my human rights,” he said.
A Wuhan resident, Wang Qiong, also found that the health code had turned red. She said it happened after registering to travel to Henan on June 11.
“The police had information about my identity when I last took part in protests in April,” Wang said.
The depositor added that she had lost access to 2.3 million yuan (approximately $341,550).
Other interviewees said they managed to reach Henan by train and by car. However, upon arrival their app codes turned red. The exact reasons for the restrictions are unknown. Other travellers, not linked to the frozen deposits, did not fall under them.
According to members of the WeChat group, more than 200 depositors faced a similar problem.
On April 18, 2022, three Chinese banks заморозили deposits of clients, citing modernization of the internal system.
Back in April ForkLog wrote about how the social credit rating works in China.
In October 2021 we reported on the impact of central bank digital currencies on economic freedoms.
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