In the far northwest of China, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, police sift through enormous troves of personal data—from facial recognition images to DNA profiles—to surveil, track dissent, and oppress the region’s Muslim population. To do this, the region’s police use software and data services from a well-known American company: Oracle. At a time when Washington is increasingly wary of Beijing’s techno-authoritarian ambitions, Oracle’s extensive operations in China raise urgent questions. How can an American company enable repression abroad while simultaneously working directly with the US government? Policymakers must confront this contradiction head-on, guided by a simple principle: US companies should not be complicit in foreign oppression while receiving American taxpayer support.
Oracle’s Roots in China Public Sector IT Systems
Oracle, a titan of enterprise software, has a long history of engagement with Beijing and is perhaps the quintessential case of a US tech firm entrenched in China’s public-sector IT infrastructure. By the mid-2010s, Oracle’s database and enterprise management tools were ubiquitous across Chinese government agencies and state-owned enterprises, forming a critical backbone of official IT systems. An online portal run by China’s State Council even touted that Oracle databases power e-government services at all levels. In effect, Oracle became woven into the fabric of China’s governance networks; networks that are being leveraged for surveillance and censorship.
Courting China’s Surveillance State
This entanglement was no accident. Oracle aggressively courted Chinese state clients with tools and expertise that fit neatly into the Communist Party’s surveillance ambitions. As Chinese authorities invested heavily in “smart city” surveillance and predictive policing programs, Oracle positioned itself as a ready partner. The company marketed its advanced data analytics platforms, such as the Oracle Endeca Information Discovery system, explicitly as law enforcement solutions for China’s police. Oracle representatives in Beijing even held up American examples to sell their products: in one presentation, they highlighted how Chicago police used Oracle software to monitor protesters, implicitly suggesting Chinese security forces could do the same.
