operation. china has a high altitude balloon _ operation. china has a high| altitude balloon programme operation. china has a high - altitude balloon programme for intelligence collection. they've done this 20 or 30 times _ they've done this 20 or 30 times. a , u, , they've done this 20 or 30 times. a, , _, , , times. many countries use high-tech _ times. many countries use high-tech surveillance - times. many countries use high-tech surveillance but| high—tech surveillance but china's just been accused of using a spy balloons in secret police stations around the world. , , , world. they will employ every means necessary _ world. they will employ every means necessary to _ world. they will employ every means necessary to either - world. they will employ everyl means necessary to either shut you up or get you back to china. i you up or get you back to china. ., , ., , china. i worry about my personal— china. i worry about my personal safety - china. i worry about my personal safety stop . china. i worry about my personal safety stop i l china. i worry about my - personal safety stop i need to be very— personal safety stop i need to be very careful.— be very careful. and 'ust how secure other h be very careful. and just how secure other chinese - be very careful. and just how| secure other chinese cameras lining our streets? if secure other chinese cameras lining our streets?— secure other chinese cameras lining our streets? if we zoom in, we lining our streets? if we zoom in. we can _ lining our streets? if we zoom in. we can see _ lining our streets? if we zoom in, we can see the _ lining our streets? if we zoom in, we can see the keys - lining our streets? if we zoom in, we can see the keys that l lining our streets? if we zoom l in, we can see the keys that he is pressing to put his password in. if is pressing to put his password in. , ., . is pressing to put his password in. ,, ., , ., ~ is pressing to put his password in. if you are breaking in late at niuht in. if you are breaking in late at night and _ in. if you are breaking in late at night and planting - in. if you are breaking in late at night and planting a - in. if you are breaking in late at night and planting a bug, | at night and planting a bug, these — at night and planting a bug, these days the targets put it there — these days the targets put it there for you! it these days the targets put it there for you!— there for you! it is a privacy risk on a — there for you! it is a privacy risk on a scale _ there for you! it is a privacy risk on a scale that - there for you! it is a privacy risk on a scale that frankly l there for you! it is a privacy i risk on a scale that frankly we have not seen before. we deserve _ have not seen before. we deserve to _ have not seen before. we deserve to know, - have not seen before. , deserve to know, the public deserves to know, who is watching us?

westminster, london, 2020. simon cheng thinks he is being followed. two weeks later, simon thinks he is being followed again. around the same time,

receives an anonymous e—mail. it's title — chinese agents will find you and bring you back. that is a threat and i worry about my personal safety and others around me.— about my personal safety and others around me. simon cheng is one of the _ others around me. simon cheng is one of the leading _ others around me. simon cheng is one of the leading figures - is one of the leading figures in the hong kong democracy movement. fouryears in the hong kong democracy movement. four years ago he was working in the british consulate and was asked to monitor escalating protests. weeks later he vanished during a consulate trip to mainland china. police says he was accused of soliciting prostitution.

they framed me to simon says he was accused of being produced by and then tortured. he says he was restrained in a device known as a tiger chair. seen here in videos from chinese social media.

when simon was released, he fled to the uk and has now been granted asylum. in london, he set up an organisation to help others who have left hong kong. today, his house is on a special protest —— police protection register and he is constantly looking over his shoulder. the chinese embassy in london didn't answer panorama's questions about simon cheng. my my name is john.

my name isjohn. i was in analyst in east asia for the central intelligence agency. it has gotten more like classic cold war. for decades, chinese intelligence was fairly casual, not very aggressive, and that has changed progressively over the last 20 years and especially over the last decade so we're seeing more what i would call classics by craft. china has become a superpower in the last two decades. economically looming, literally confident and increasingly authoritarian. —— economically looming. authoritarian. -- economically loomina. ., ., , authoritarian. -- economically looming-— authoritarian. -- economically loomina. ., ., , ., ., looming. you are seeing a more assertive chinese _ looming. you are seeing a more assertive chinese foreign - assertive chinese foreign policy. they are asserting their powers, the second—largest economy and by most measures the second most capable military force on the planet. in capable military force on the lanet. a . capable military force on the lanet. ~ ., . g , planet. in march, xijinping secured a _ planet. in march, xijinping secured a third _ planet. in march, xijinping secured a third term - planet. in march, xijinping secured a third term as - planet. in march, xijinping . secured a third term as china's president. i

secured a third term as china's president-— president. i think they are now -aushin president. i think they are now pushing harder. _ president. i think they are now pushing harder. president- president. i think they are now pushing harder. president xi . president. i think they are now pushing harder. president xi is taking tighter and tighter control. he believes that the west is incapable of making decisions about china because of their worry about the trade and the way they do ben lewis and the way they do ben lewis and i think he is probably right. —— the way they do business. right. -- the way they do business.— right. -- the way they do business. , , �* business. president xi isn't 'ust business. president xi isn't just taking _ business. president xi isn't just taking tighter - business. president xi isn't just taking tighter control l business. president xi isn't | just taking tighter control at home but abroad as well. his police forces have been accused of setting up a network of overseas police stations. we have overseas police stations. , have identified over 100 stations in at least 53 countries.— stations in at least 53 countries. . , stations in at least 53 countries. ., , ., , countries. human rights group safeguard _ countries. human rights group safeguard defenders - countries. human rights group safeguard defenders say - countries. human rights group| safeguard defenders say some countries. human rights group i safeguard defenders say some of these sites may have been used for persuasion to return operations of chinese expats. using public records, they estimate more than 7000 people around the world have been forced to return to china.

imagine the idea that you are not safe anywhere, that they can get to you anyway you are, that they will employ every means necessary, you know, to either shut you up or get you back to china. i don't think there is anything more sinister than that. ., . ., than that. police here are aware of _ than that. police here are aware of at _ than that. police here are aware of at least - than that. police here are aware of at least three i than that. police here are i aware of at least three sites in the uk. aware of at least three sites in the uk-— aware of at least three sites in the uk. one located at an office block _ in the uk. one located at an office block in _ in the uk. one located at an office block in croydon, - in the uk. one located at an office block in croydon, one| in the uk. one located at an l office block in croydon, one at an estate agency in pendant and one at a restaurant in glasgow. the government says no evidence of illegal activity has been identified. but says the sites were set up without permission and their presence will have intimidated those who have left china and sought safety and freedom here.

but china has moved quickly to close down alleged overseas police stations. in america, there have been arrests by the fbi. here, the government has been accused of not acting fast enough. the uk government for refuses to say whether china poses a threat. i think you will find in epoque defining challenge and we will meet with robust pragmatism. in and we will meet with robust pragmatism-— and we will meet with robust pragmatism. in glasgow they didn't respond _ pragmatism. in glasgow they didn't respond to _ pragmatism. in glasgow they didn't respond to panorama. | didn't respond to panorama. they said the accusations are

baseless. china may be targeting its critics abroad but should we all be worried about chinese cameras lining our streets? two of the biggest surveillance companies in the world, with combined annual profits of almost £2 billion. china has been accused of using these cameras to control and monitor the minority muslim population and weaken them. cameras made by these companies lined the streets where they are not only watching people but actively analysing them, even with horrendous features like ethnicity alerts where they can pick people out of a crowd that they believe to be uyghur muslims.

the chinese embassy in london says... these cameras can also be found up these cameras can also be found up and down the uk. we these cameras can also be found up and down the uk.— up and down the uk. we spent months and — up and down the uk. we spent months and months _ up and down the uk. we spent| months and months submitting thousands of freedom of information requests and we found the majority of public bodies are using chinese state—owned surveillance cameras. these companies have dominated completely dominated the surveillance market in the uk. ., , the surveillance market in the uk. , ~ .,, the surveillance market in the uk. nobody knows how many of these cameras _ uk. nobody knows how many of these cameras are _ uk. nobody knows how many of these cameras are in _ uk. nobody knows how many of these cameras are in the -

uk. nobody knows how many of these cameras are in the uk - uk. nobody knows how many of these cameras are in the uk but big brother watch says at 227 councils and 15 police forces use of these cameras and 35 councils use the other brand. you're talking about data on millions and millions of people that can be processed to potentially generate very detailed report about each of us and what we do and if that sounds hyperbolic then you really need to understand what it is the chinese government doesin it is the chinese government does in terms of surveillance in its own country against its own population.— in its own country against its own population. panorama can now show _ own population. panorama can now show how _ own population. panorama can now show how security - own population. panorama can now show how security issues | own population. panorama can. now show how security issues in some of these cameras can be exploited. ipvm is one of the world's leading authorities on surveillance technology. working with the bbc, they designed a series of tests. first, ipvm supplied a camera to put inside. we first, ipvm supplied a camera to put inside.— first, ipvm supplied a camera to put inside. we have a camera installed on _ to put inside. we have a camera installed on a _ to put inside. we have a camera installed on a bbc— to put inside. we have a camera

installed on a bbc studio - to put inside. we have a camera installed on a bbc studio in - installed on a bbc studio in london and we we're going to build a back door that they built into its own products. panorama couldn't install it on a bbc network because of security so it was put on a firewall with no protection. as an i—off experiment connor and john have agreed to play the role of hackers. they start by locating the camera inside broadcasting house and then attack it security. 50 broadcasting house and then attack it security.— attack it security. so all we need to do _ attack it security. so all we need to do is _ attack it security. so all we need to do is plug - attack it security. so all we need to do is plug in, - attack it security. so all we need to do is plug in, type| attack it security. so all we i need to do is plug in, type in a string of 13 characters of the end of the device we want to get into. the end of the device we want to get into-— the end of the device we want to net into. . . ,, ., _, , to get into. hacking a computer s stem to get into. hacking a computer system without _ to get into. hacking a computer system without permission - to get into. hacking a computer system without permission is i to get into. hacking a computer system without permission is a | system without permission is a criminal offence so not all of the details are being shown. having gained access, connor

now times how long it takes to get control of the camera. ready, set, go.— get control of the camera. ready, set, go. the only use a list on this _ ready, set, go. the only use a list on this device _ ready, set, go. the only use a list on this device is _ ready, set, go. the only use a list on this device is admin. . list on this device is admin. i'm — list on this device is admin. i'm going _ list on this device is admin. i'm going to set the password to 12345— i'm going to set the password to 12345 ipvm and i set the password, we're done. 11 password, we're done. seconds. password, we're done. 11 seconds. we _ password, we're done. 11 seconds. we have - password, we're done. 11j seconds. we have access password, we're done. 11 i seconds. we have access to password, we're done. 11 - seconds. we have access to that camera now- _ seconds. we have access to that camera now. so _ seconds. we have access to that camera now. so here _ seconds. we have access to that camera now. so here if- seconds. we have access to that camera now. so here if we i seconds. we have access to thatj camera now. so here if we zoom entitled — camera now. so here if we zoom entitled the keyboard, we can see the — entitled the keyboard, we can see the keys that he is pressing to put his password in for his— pressing to put his password in for his laptop. so now two things— for his laptop. so now two things have happened, i own that— things have happened, i own that device now, i can do whatever— that device now, i can do whatever i want with it, i can disable — whatever i want with it, i can disable it _ whatever i want with it, i can disable it or i can use it to watch _ disable it or i can use it to watch what is going on at the bbc, _ watch what is going on at the bbc, and _ watch what is going on at the bbc, and the second thing is that— bbc, and the second thing is that the _ bbc, and the second thing is that the bbc no longer has control— that the bbc no longer has control of that device. zoomed in, control of that device. zoomed in. i_ control of that device. zoomed in. i can— control of that device. zoomed in, i can see his phone screen.

so we — in, i can see his phone screen. so we now— in, i can see his phone screen. so we now have a username and password for the bbc network and we have the pass code to a bbc employer's phone from this camera? ., . , , ., ,, camera? correct. this is akin to a locksmith _ camera? correct. this is akin to a locksmith giving - camera? correct. this is akin to a locksmith giving you i camera? correct. this is akin to a locksmith giving you a l camera? correct. this is akin i to a locksmith giving you a key to a locksmith giving you a key to your — to a locksmith giving you a key to your home and then secretly making — to your home and then secretly making a — to your home and then secretly making a master key for all of the locks _ making a master key for all of the locks in that community that— the locks in that community that is— the locks in that community that is effectively what hikvision engineers did. hikvision says its products were not deliberately programmed with this flaw. the camera panorama tested contained a vulnerability that was first discovered in 2017. hikvision pointed out it released a firmware update to address it almost immediately and says this demonstration was not representative of devices operating today. the test camera had not received the firmware update. ipvm research suggests many other cameras around the world

have also not been updated. these are cameras in people's homes, in their businesses, on streets, inside their offices. there are more than 100,000 cameras online that are still vulnerable, that haven't had their software updated. test number two. can the hackers crack dahua's cameras? in their us facility, they're going to try to infiltrate the software controlling them. if they can, they could take charge of an entire network of surveillance cameras. we're getting unauthorised route access to the server. so now, if i open up the client for dahua dss... there we go, we're in. and we have full access to this system now. now they're inside the system, they can use it to eavesdrop. what a lot of people don't realise about these cameras is that a large majority of them have microphones. now, often they're turned off

by the user, but when we hack into the system like this, we can turn that microphone back on and listen in. so it's as simple as clicking "audio". yeah. now we're wiretapping them. what's the zoom ratio? up to 25 zoom ratio. really? this is a very easy to exploit wiretap. yeah. dahua says when it was made aware of the vulnerability late last year, it: and quickly fixed the problem through firmware updates. hikvision and dahua cameras are used to monitor many police and government buildings. in a single afternoon, panorama found hikvision cameras outside the department for international trade, the department of health,

the health security agency, defra, and an army reserve centre. the us surveillance camera commissioner says there are so many of them, they're like digital asbestos. we have a previous generation that has installed this equipment largely on the basis that it was cheap and got thejob done. we have now realised it has serious and inherent risks, so what do we do about it? do you trust hikvision and dahua? not one bit. chinese—made surveillance cameras have been found surprisingly close to home. i walked into the home office lobby. as i was there standing at the desk waiting for my id to get checked, you know, as i do, given myjob, i've looked around to see what kind of cameras they were using. conor had been invited to a meeting with civil servants in 2021 to discuss surveillance technology. i immediately spotted a camera on the ceiling which i knew to actually be

manufactured by dahua. it never occurred to me that by going to a meeting at the home office, i'd actually be able to say, you know, not only are these two critical vulnerabilities, in fact, they can be used on the cameras you have in your lobby. with the gallop of technology, we are finding ourselves exposed to things that didn't happen in the past. perhaps in the old days you might've said if you were bugging someone, you had to break in late at night and plant a bug. these days, the target's putting it in for you. the government says it takes: and has a: that includes removing chinese—owned cameras from sensitive sites. security experts fear the threat could be even greater than just watching and listening. the cameras could be used as a trojan horse to play havoc with computer networks

and spark civil disruption. if you look at all our critical national infrastructure, all things that keep us going — so access to, you know, transport, fresh water, fresh food, power — all those things rely very heavily on remote surveillance. so if you have an ability to interfere with that, you can create mayhem — cheaply and remotely. we've all seen the italian job in our youth where you bring the whole of turin to a halt through the traffic light system. well, that might've been fiction then. it wouldn't be now. that's a very potent weapon that you have. why would we put that in the hands of another state? hikvision says it's an independent company

and isn't a threat to uk national security, it has never conducted espionage—related activities for any government, nor will it, and that its products are compliant with uk laws and regulations. dahua says it's not state—backed and its equipment could not interfere with the uk's critical infrastructure. a fox news alert now... it's not a bird, it's not a plane... there is a suspected l chinese spy balloon... chinese spy balloon hovering over the... ..it's a chinese spy balloon. from eyes on the street to the eye in the sky, china's now been accused of using a giant balloon to spy on america. china's decision to fly a surveillance balloon over the continental united states is both unacceptable and irresponsible. why haven't we shot this balloon out of the sky? there's lots of questions, i but the commander—in—chief is awfully quiet.

president biden was forced to act. they're shooting it. that was like a missile that came out of that plane. oh, my god, they shot it down. ever since the balloon was shot out of the sky, intelligence agencies have been scrambling to get to the bottom of what it was doing and where it had been. enter corey jaskolski, founder of a revolutionary artificial intelligence company. he used his ai program to do what no human could — sift through millions of satellite images to locate the balloon. looking for something that's maybe 40 metres across and we're looking for that in millions and millions and millions of square kilometres of earth's surface. after processing a vast amount of satellite data, the ai program shed new light on the location of the balloon before it was shot down.

so you see the bright side of the balloon and then you see the dark side of the balloon, just like you see the dark side of the moon. from here, corey tracked the balloon back to the most likely launch site — hainan island in the south china sea. looks like on the day of the launch there was cloud cover. and if i were going to launch a balloon, i would've chosen a cloudy day to do that in orderto minimise the chance of detection. china claimed the balloon was a civilian airship used for scientific research such as meteorology. the balloon that we saw was not a weather balloon. it's far larger with a lot more complexity. in terms of the payload package, it's very large. you know, it's been compared to multiple school buses. the balloon is suspected to have been gathering what's known as signals intelligence.

if you're trying to pick up cellphone transmissions or understand communication patterns, then i could theoretically see where the balloon could be a useful platform for that. the balloon appeared to be equipped to do just that. according to the us state department, it had multiple antennas, likely capable of collecting and geolocating communications. corey's research shows that at one point the spy balloon was only around 80 miles from an air force base in montana which houses nuclear missiles. i am sitting in my driveway and this thing is up- in the sky. it's been there, stationary, i for about the last 35 minutes. the chinese embassy says this was an isolated event. but working with corey, panorama has uncovered evidence about more spy balloons. first, corey found four

satellite images of a balloon and was then able to plot its route across northern japan from china in early september 2021. this one did not launch from hainan. it launched from more interior china, just south of mongolia. japan is a key american ally. there are more american forces stationed here than in any other foreign country. it is strongly presumed that the balloons were reconnaissance balloons flown by china. the ministry of defence ofjapan is taking all precautions to monitor the situation on a daily basis. japan says if more balloons are discovered in its airspace, it may shoot them down. for protecting lives and the property of people in the territory ofjapan, it is possible to respond to that situation with the use of weapons.

since then, panorama has been searching social media and press reports across east asia for sightings of unexplained objects in the sky. we gave these photographs, taken by taiwan's weather service in september 2021 over the capital taipei, to corey. he then cross—referenced them with satellite imagery. we were able to take wind models and calculate from that sighting where the balloon might�*ve been previously and where it was going because of the wind. and within 90 seconds, we found the balloon off the coast of taiwan. the taiwanese government has told panorama it believes it was a weather balloon. but corey says that's unlikely. so i suspect, just based on the diameter of the balloon and the fact that the operating altitude looks similar, that looks an awful lot like the balloon that flew over the united states, overjapan. taiwan is fearful of china's

military ambitions. the democratically governed island has, according to xi jinping, always been part of china. last year, the chinese military rehearsed a full—scale attack. china has fired multiple ballistic missiles during a set of military exercises in the air and the sea encircling taiwan. president biden has said the us would defend taiwan if china attacked. there are fears of a confrontation in the south china sea. there have been two near misses since may. the chinese fighter jet came dangerously close to an american surveillance plane. the two ships missing each other by only 150 yards. i i think that a crisis is now a matter of when, not if. the chinese embassy says: and it always acts:

and respects: it says it reject: all major nations have intelligence operations that use modern technology. but some fear where these spy games may lead. china is a long—term threat to us. its intention to become, by the middle of the 21st century, the dominant superpower, to depose america, and to change the world and its government systems and values in a way that better suits its interests, is indeed a threat to our way of life. whether by balloons, overseas police stations, or advanced surveillance technology, today the chinese government has the tools to watch the world like never before. given the pace of advancement, you know, where will we be

in ten years or 20 years in terms of the capabilities of these devices? that is what keeps me up at night the most. these technologies can do a lot for our security and to improve society, but if they are mismanaged, it could be a disaster for free society and democracy.

live from washington, live from washington, this is bbc news. this is bbc news. more than 300 people more than 300 people have been arrested have been arrested the dutch king makes a personal the dutch king makes a personal apology for his country's apology for his country's role in slavery. role in slavery. more than 300 people have been arrested more than 300 people have been arrested across france — as the country across france — as the country enters a fifth night enters a fifth night of rioting. of rioting. and — during his visit saturday, and — during his visit saturday, un secretary general un secretary general antonio guterres urges antonio guterres urges the international community not to forget about haiti. hello i'm helena humphries. we start in france where more than 300 people have been arrested as violent protests enter theirfifth night. on saturday, the funeral of a teenager shot dead by a police officer took place in the paris

suburb of nanterre.