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BBC Chinese: China’s Internet Freedom Ranked Lowest in Global Report

BBC Chinese recently reported that China had the lowest score in the just-released Freedom House Annual Internet Freedom Report. The Freedom House Report is a globally respected indicator of Internet freedom. This year’s Report covered 65 countries. On a scale between 0 and 100 (100 being the worst), China scored 88, sitting at the very bottom of the list of all countries covered, after Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Ethiopia, Syria and Iran. The report scores were based on three major elements: the barriers to getting online, content restrictions, and user rights. China got the lowest score possible on user rights. The Report also mentioned major Internet events in 2015 for each country. For China, it mentioned the government authorized blocking of proxies, state-issued fake security certificates, and real-name regulations for users, as well as legal requirements allowing the government access to backend systems of infrastructure vendors (such as communications companies). The best ranked countries in the Report were Iceland, Estonia, Canada, Germany, Australia, and the United States. 
Source: BBC Chinese, October 28, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/science/2015/10/151028_china_internet_freedom
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Xinhua: The Quality of 90 Percent of China’s School Supplies Failed the National Standard

Xinhua published an article on the quality of China’s school supplies sold online and in stores. According to the report issued by Quality and Technology Supervision of Jiangsu Province, over 90 percent of the school supplies including pen ink, correction fluid, erasers, and homework writing paper contains toxic contents that exceed the national standard. The article said that a lack of supervision, large consumer demand, as well a lack of reinforcement of quality inspection at the manufacturing sites were the issues that affected the quality. According to the article, the complaints related to quality issues that the Consumer Association received in the first half of the year increased by 3 percent compared to the same period in 2014.

Source: Xinhua, November 1, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2015-11/01/c_1117003410.htm

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Iran is Adopting China’s Satellite Positioning System

China Stocks recently reported that Iran and China signed an agreement to introduce China’s Beidou Satellite Positioning System into Iran. Iran Electronics Industries (IEI), Iran’s largest electronics company, plays a key role in the country’s satellite industry. IEI held a formal ceremony for the official launch of the Beidou-based program. China will not only supply the ground stations but also construct a space data collection center. China’s Beidou Satellite Positioning System is China’s independently developed and independently run positioning system that provides all-time and all-weather precise positioning services. Currently Iran cannot obtain high precision services from the Global Positioning System (GPS) that the United States owns. The U.S. GPS system is the largest and the most widely used satellite positioning system in the world.

Source: China Stocks, October 19, 2015
http://news.cnstock.com/industry/sid_rdjj/201510/3593175.htm

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BBC Chinese: U.S. DNI Clapper not Optimistic about the Internet Spying Agreement with China

BBC Chinese recently reported that James R. Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) of the United States, said “no” in a Senate hearing when asked by Senator John McCain whether he was optimistic about the U.S-China agreement that neither country would conduct economic espionage in cyberspace. Clapper explained that the effectiveness of the agreement remains to be seen. He also recommended that U.S. intelligence analysts keep an eye on activities on the Chinese side, since the current cyberspace situation is almost like the “Wild Wild West.” However, Clapper also mentioned that one of the key questions was whether Internet based spying should be banned or not – the United States conducts similar activities on “public platforms” as well. He added that it’s very hard to determine how involved the Chinese government really is. 
Source: BBC Chinese, September 29, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/09/150929_us_china_cyber
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Google’s New Internet Domain Name Got Blocked Instantly

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, as soon as Google’s co-founder Larry Page announced the restructuring of the company, within 24 hours, the Chinese ‘Great Firewall” blocked the new parent company Alphabet’s internet domain name www.abc.xyz. China’s official news media issued widespread reports on the restructuring event and even described the new domain name as “unusual.” However the Chinese netizens won’t be able to access the new website, although it only has a letter from Larry Page and a link to its investor relationship. Google has suffered a poor relationship with the Chinese government for long time because Google refused to implement the censorship that the Chinese government required. In 2013, Google decided to leave the Chinese market citing the censorship issue and the fact that the company had been hacked. Starting in 2014, the Chinese government has been blocking Google Mail, Google Translation, and Google Maps, in addition to Google Search.
Source: Sina, August 12, 2015
http://finance.sina.com/bg/tech/udn/su/20150812/16271314690.html
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Internet Users’ Information Theft Is Alarming in China

People’s Daily reported that, according to the 2015 Investigative Report on China’s Internet Users’ Protection Rights, 78.2 percent of Internet users in China have had their personal information stolen. The related financial losses that resulted were 8.05 trillion yuan (US$1.3 trillion).This is equivalent to 124 yuan (US$20) per person for the period between July 2014 to June 2015, assuming there were 649 million Internet users and close to 7 percent of the Internet users suffered financial losses as high as 1,000 yuan (US$161). The report indicated that online shopping, online searches, social websites, online games and online travel are the sites where most of the Internet users experienced information theft. According to the legal expert, the personal and identify information theft rate in China is alarming, but since the financial damage is relatively small, few of the Internet users seek legal protection.

Source: People’s Daily, July 24, 2015
http://tc.people.com.cn/n/2015/0724/c183008-27353836.html

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By 2022, China Will Have 9.2 Million Hepatitis B Patients

Guangming Daily reported that, on July 25, 2015, World Hepatitis B Awareness Day, there were 6.9 million Hepatitis B patients in China. According to the vice chairman of the China Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control, that number will reach 9.2 million by 2022. The article also disclosed that among 400 million Hepatitis B and C carriers in the world, China accounts for 25 percent of the population while the number of liver cancer patients in China accounts for half of the world’s population.

Source: Guangming Daily, July 26, 2015
http://politics.gmw.cn/2015-07/26/content_16424619.htm

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China’s Draft Cybersecurity Law Allows Cutting Off Area-wide Internet Access

China’s recently proposed draft cybersecurity law makes it clear that the national Internet information authorities should perform the duties of supervision and management of network security. Once a publication or transmission of information that is prohibited by laws and regulations occurs, the authorities must demand the service provider to stop the transmission network operator, take measures to eliminate the information, and save the relevant records. When the above mentioned information comes from abroad, the authorities must notify the relevant agencies to take technical and other necessary measures to block the dissemination of the information.
The Draft emphasizes real name registration, requiring that Internet service providers should require the users to submit real identity information at the time of signing an agreement or confirmation or service. If the user does not submit real identity information, the service provider is not allowed to provide the related services. Any service provider who does not require users to submit real identity information, or who provides service to users who have not submitted their real identity is subject to a fine between 50,000 yuan (US$8,053) and 500,000 yuan (US$80,530). That provider may also be ordered to suspend all relevant business, stop or close operations, or have its relevant business license revoked.
The Draft classifies the websites or online systems that have a large number of users into the category of critical information infrastructure. It requires that the operator of the critical information infrastructure should collect and store important data such as citizen’s personal information within its borders. Any operator that stores Internet based data overseas, or provides data to overseas organizations or individuals without security assessments is subject to a fine between 50,000 yuan (US$8,053) and 500,000 yuan (US$80,530). It may also be ordered to suspend all relevant business, stop or close its operation, or have its relevant business license revoked. Executives directly responsible and other personnel directly responsible are subject to a fine between 10,000 yuan (US$1,611) and 100,000 yuan (US$16,110).
The Draft makes provisions for Internet security monitoring and an early warning and emergency response system. It requires that, when an Internet security incident occurs, the authorities at government offices above the county level should immediately start the network security emergency response plan and release the public-related warnings and relevant information. The Draft makes provision for Internet control: "For safeguarding national security and maintaining public order, out of the need to deal with major emergency social safety incidents, the State Council or provincial governments under the approval of the State Council can adopt temporary measures including limiting Internet communications in some areas."
Source: People’s Daily Online, July 9, 2015
http://it.people.com.cn/n/2015/0709/c1009-27275737.html
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