Dr. Yang Yan and Danqi Guo delivered a presentation at the VW Workshop "Privacy China" on July 3rd, 2025, in Oxford, focusing on the topic: "State narratives of digital surveillance and privacy and their effects on citizens’ support in China."

Abstract: Digital surveillance has quietly become the norm in societies worldwide. Despite significant concerns about privacy and individual liberty, recent research indicates increasing popular support for government-implemented digital surveillance. This study examines how the government of one of the world’s leading digital powers, China, has rolled out widespread surveillance programs by leveraging strategic narratives as an effective communication tool to build legitimacy. Based on a mixed-methods analysis of 8,096 official posts from Chinese social media, we identify four common narrative types—information disclosure, livelihood and safety, governance, and national pride—that present surveillance as indispensable for public order, efficiency, and technological advancement. These narratives are deeply infused with emotional undertones of security and national pride, which play a pivotal role in persuading the public of the value of surveillance. Our findings highlight how the government uses positive emotional appeals to legitimize digital control and offer new insights into the interplay of narratives, emotions, and state power in the rise of digital authoritarianism.