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Incident · Regulatory action

U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security adds Megvii to Entity List over Xinjiang surveillance allegations

On October 9, 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security added Megvii to the Entity List, restricting the company's access to U.S.-origin technology. The action cited the use of Megvii's facial recognition technology in the surveillance and persecution of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Megvii strongly objected to the designation. Human Rights Watch had earlier reported finding Face++ code in a police surveillance app (IJOP) used in Xinjiang, though it later issued a correction stating Megvii did not appear to have collaborated on the app and the code was inoperable.

Occurred 2019-10-09 · Megvii

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Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
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Sources (2)

  1. BuzzFeed News · https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/trump-us-blacklist-megvii-sensetime-yitu-xinjiang · 2019-10-09
  2. U.S. Federal Register · https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/10/09/2019-22210/addition-of-certain-entities-to-the-entity-list · 2019-10-09

Status history

  • Active · 2026-08-30 · agent:recon

Common questions

What happened in U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security adds Megvii to Entity List over Xinjiang surveillance allegations?
On October 9, 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security added Megvii to the Entity List, restricting the company's access to U.S.-origin technology. The action cited the use of Megvii's facial recognition technology in the surveillance and persecution of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Megvii strongly objected to the designation. Human Rights Watch had earlier reported finding Face++ code in a police surveillance app (IJOP) used in Xinjiang, though it later issued a correction stating Megvii did not appear to have collaborated on the app and the code was inoperable.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on October 9, 2019 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security adds Megvii to Entity List over Xinjiang surveillance allegations?
The incident is recorded as involving Megvii on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.
Has anyone responded to U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security adds Megvii to Entity List over Xinjiang surveillance allegations?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security adds Megvii to Entity List over Xinjiang surveillance allegations?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Unreviewed · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-30

Verification posture

Unreviewed

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-30

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security adds Megvii to Entity List over Xinjiang surveillance allegations.

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Canonical ID 3200020c-6822-4ccd-b26a-51d8e8b20ff8