{
  "id": 14052016,
  "title": "From laser shields to iPhone detectors: inside China’s booming secrecy industry",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/from-laser-shields-to-iphone-detectors-inside-chinas-booming-secrecy",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-12T22:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3370572/laser-shields-iphone-detectors-inside-chinas-booming-secrecy-industry"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In China, a secretive industry is thriving to provide protection against laser-based eavesdropping and other forms of espionage. Recently, the Ministry of State Security issued a warning about the emerging threat of laser-based surveillance, which could be used by foreign spies to listen in on confidential meetings. To address this concern, Chinese manufacturers are developing and marketing a range of products designed to detect and prevent such intrusions.\n\nOne type of device being offered detects and alerts users to incoming laser beams, determining the direction from which the laser originates. Another product utilizes laser-protection film that absorbs certain wavelengths while still allowing the window to remain transparent. Additionally, there are specialized curtains made from electromagnetic-shielding fabric that can block electronic signals and infrared thermal-imaging surveillance.\n\nThe surge in demand for these secrecy-protection technologies is driven by heightened fears of foreign espionage and data leaks, as well as China's increasing national security requirements. Companies are expanding their product offerings and seeking growth opportunities overseas, particularly in countries with close security ties to Beijing. While most devices are produced domestically, some companies also import Russian-made anti-recording jammers for sale to Chinese customers. Notably, there is a growing market for equipment that can detect and neutralize signals emitted by foreign-made devices, such as Apple products, due to national security concerns.",
  "summary": "A group of Chinese officials are in the middle of a highly sensitive meeting involving critical decisions yet to be made behind closed doors, with documents stamped “classified” spread across the table. Suddenly, an invisible laser beams into the room, sweeping across a glass window and allowing the contents of the meeting to be transmitted elsewhere. China’s Ministry of State Security laid out…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "From laser shields to iPhone detectors: inside China’s booming secrecy industry",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/from-laser-shields-to-iphone-detectors-inside-chinas-booming-secrecy-14053498",
        "published": "2026-10-12T22:00:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}