AI and facial recognition has reportedly been used by authorities to monitor the emotions of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region of China.

A software engineer told the BBC that they had installed these camera systems in police stations in the area.

The Uyghurs are a mostly Muslim minority ethnic group of around 12 million people living in the North Western region of Xinjiang.

There have been reports of citizens in the area being under continuous surveillance and the existence of “re-education centres,” which are described by human rights groups as high-security detention camps.

It is estimated that over one million people have been held in these camps.

The Chinese government has previously stated that surveillance is necessary because separatist groups who want to establish their own state have committed terrorist attacks in the region, allegedly killing hundreds of people.

In January, UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab raised the issue of invasive surveillance, systematic restrictions on Uyghur culture, along with the involuntary sterilisation of women, torture, and the widespread use of forced labour in the autonomous territory.

In March, a number of western countries including the UK, US, Canada, and EU countries imposed sanctions on officials over the human rights abuses in happening in China.

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