> I'd rather pay more and buy something made locally.
Do you mean the lavalier mic from Aliexpress I mentioned? Well I first ordered one from Amazon and from knowing that and from looking at many other offers it is clear that these are pretty much all the same model. And so you pay for different marketing. When it comes to “not knowing how it’s made”: It is not even using a USB connection but rather plugs right into the microphone jack. So not sure how this could be used for surveillance. And regarding the human rights: Sure that is not ok. But most things are made in China and it is hard to escape. But if you find something good made “locally” (wherever that might be for you) then please share!