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BBC Chinese: China’s Internet Censorship Just Banned WhatsApp

BBC Chinese recently reported that netizens inside China discovered WhatsApp’s audio, video, and image capabilities have been blocked. As of July 19, short text information could still go thru. These were the same symptoms before Google and Gmail were fully banned in China. WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app, claiming a user base over one billion as of February, 2016. China, with the largest scale of Internet censorship, has so far banned nearly all of the world’s most widely used social media and communications apps, including Facebook, Twitter, Google (and its various apps), Instagram, and YouTube. China has just announced the ban of the Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology altogether. In the meantime, it tightened up the content level control on unbanned media for information regarding the passing away of China’s Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Liu Xiaobo.

Source: BBC Chinese, July 19, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/press-review-40657837

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology Social Stability

Pan Asia Nonferrous Metals Exchange Is a State Ponzi Scheme

The Pan Asia Nonferrous Metals Exchange was once an attractive investment platform that the government promoted in 2011. Over 220,000 people invested a total of 43 billion yuan (US$6 billion) in it. However, in 2015, it turned out that it was a Ponzi scheme and most people lost their money.

Investors have repeatedly appealed to both the Yunnan Provincial government and the central government to request help in order to recover their losses, but, so far, the government has provided no response.

Recently, a video was posted on YouTube with edited video clips promoting Pan Asia from the China Central Television (CCTV). These showed that the government was responsible for crediting and promoting Pan Asia in its earlier years. The video clips showed CCTV’s vigorous introduction of the nonferrous metal exchange platform, broadcasting Pan Asia’s collaboration with CCTV, and promoting Pan Asia’s business.

Source: Radio France International, September 24, 2016
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20160924-泛亚诈骗：国家导演的庞氏骗局

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Social Stability

Zhejiang Police Use Fake Communication Tower to Gather Mobile User Information

Radio Free Asia reported that the police from Zhejiang Province were found to have set up a fake mobile communication tower to gather mobile user’s information. The fake tower used a high power wireless signal transmission to force mobile devices such as mobile phones to register with it. This allowed the police to obtain mobile user’s information.

A former railroad policeman from Changsha, Hunan Province, commented that the police have long been using communication equipment to gather people’s information. The difference this time is that the police are doing it themselves, instead of going through telecom companies.

Another commentator indicated that it is a nationwide practice for the regime to use similar equipment to gather, monitor, analyze, and extract “useful” information from the general public.

Source: Radio Free Asia, July 2, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/control-07022017100526.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Information/Technology Social Stability

SARFT Banned Some TV Show Categories before Communist Party Conference

China.com recently reported that the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) just sent out notifications on guidelines for TV contents suitable for the upcoming 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and the Ninetieth Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The guidelines listed 42 TV shows as recommended for celebrating the party conference and 26 shows for the PLA. SARFT required that the Central Television and provincial satellite TV stations air the recommended shows during the peak hours of the “celebration season.” The guidelines also banned shows that fell into the category of ancient costume plays and the category of idol dramas. These categories were considered “too entertaining” and not “suitable for the serious atmosphere.” SARFT also asked provincial news, publication, film, and television administrations to take action to ensure the “proper” shows are aired on time and other categories of shows that may be “too entertaining” are taken out as well. The “official” TV stations are urged to purchase the shows on the recommended list quickly.

Source: China.com, July 7, 2017
http://news.china.com/domestic/945/20170707/30932551_all.html#page_3

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

Chinese Rights Lawyers Commemorate the “July 9 Mass Arrest of Rights Lawyers”

On July 9, Epoch Times published an article discussing how Chinese lawyers from different regions have used many diverse ways to show their support in commemorating the “July 9 Massive Arrest of Rights Lawyers” which took place two years ago. Lawyers from Guangzhou have used candles and white paper. One rights lawyer from Shandong Province went on a hunger strike for one day. One lawyer decided to visit another lawyer who was released from the detention center. In addition, the legal community in Hong Kong held a moment of silence that lasted for 7 minutes and 9 seconds, while lawyers from Taiwan issued a statement condemning the persecution of Chinese rights lawyers. July 9, 2017, was proposed to be the first “Chinese Lawyer’s Day.” One rights lawyer told Epoch Times that Chinese rights lawyers will not be suppressed; nor will they back down. They will continue to fight for human rights in China. The article also reported that a few days before July 9, (the authorities) sent a notice to each law firm in China requesting them “not to use the Internet, any media interviews or other channels to discuss anything about the July 9 incident from 2015.”

On July 9, 2015, over one hundred Chinese rights lawyers, human right activists, and petitioners across 23 provinces were arrested and detained. Some of them were beaten and tortured during detention. Even today, a few of the rights lawyers are still in detention.

Source:
Epoch Times, July 9, 2017
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/17/7/9/n9371331.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Radio France Internationale: Tightened Security and News Coverage after Explosion outside Kindergarten in Xu Zhou City

Radio France Internationale published an article explaining that, following the recent explosion outside a kindergarten in a suburb of Xu Zhou City in Jiangsu Province which killed 8 people and injured 65 people, the General Office and the Publicity Office issued an urgent notice to news media outlets. The notice requested that the media outlets must use only three official media as their news sources when reporting on the explosion. They must exercise strict efforts to monitor online and social media in order to stop and prevent potential “rumors” or negative comments. The article also stated that the seriousness of the explosion caught the attention of the leadership in Beijing. The Ministry of Education has ordered tightened security around school buildings. Some Kindergartens have even hired security guards who are armed with guns or preventive equipment such as batons, long forks, or spears. In addition, the article also quoted Bowen Press, which wrote that, “While China is facing a number of different hidden crises, its official news media will report extensively on incidents such as gun violence in the U.S. and the deadly London fire in the U.K. However, when it comes to kindergarten explosions or other domestic accidents, little news coverage can be found. That is incredible.”

The explosion took place at 4:50 pm on Thursday June 15. According to CCTV, the police have identified the suspect as a 22 year old male who made the explosive device at home and was killed at the scene. The suspect was reported to have dropped out of school due to psychological problems and then found a job close to the kindergarten. The police found the explosive material at the suspect’s residence and found the words “death,” “kill,” and “eliminate” written on his walls.

Sources:
1. Radio France Internationale, June 16, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20170616-徐州幼儿园爆炸惊动中南海-全国学校或紧急配枪棍长叉
2. Voice of America, June 16, 2017
https://www.voachinese.com/a/explosion-at-a-kindergarten-in-jiangsu-province-china/3901488.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China Published 2017 Blue Book Report on College Graduates Employment

Web news media Zhejiang Province Online recently reported, based on information aggregated from various popular Chinese sources, on the newly published Blue Book Report on Chinese College Graduates Employment. An independent third-party publisher instead of the Chinese government compiled the Blue Book. The survey was based on a sample of 289,000 2016 college graduates. According to the Blue Book, 91.6 percent of the students were employed within six months of graduation. However, only 65 percent of them were satisfied with the work they found. The highest job satisfactory lies in the top-five categories: software development companies, colleges, the Communist Party or government branches, Airlines, and some other Communist Party or government related organizations. The average new college-graduate worker’s monthly salary was RMB 3,988 (around US$586). The Blue Book also shows that the most popular college majors welcomed by the employers were Software Engineering, Network Engineering, Communications Engineering, and Information Security. The least popular majors were Music Performance, Fine Arts, and Law School. The Blue Book also found that the attractiveness of the “First Tier” cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen) had declined.

Source: Zhejiang Province Online, June 14, 2017
http://china.zjol.com.cn/ktx/201706/t20170614_4221755.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Social Stability

The Paper: Criminal Activities Grew in Cheating on the National College Entry Exam

The well-known new Chinese news site The Paper recently reported that more and more advanced technologies are being used during the Chinese National College Entry Exam to help those who have decided to cheat on the Exam. This year’s Exam just completed a few days ago. The police have been busy jamming wireless signals around the official exam locations and chasing up and down the supply chain as well as the distribution channels of a massive amount of the high-tech cheating tools that criminal organizations provide. The technologies in the “cheating industry” upgrade rapidly. They have found their way into nearly all things that are allowed into the exam locations. Examples are drinking bottles with micro video cameras; communication devices hidden in watches, pens, erasers and eye glasses; electronics have been found in vests and belts connecting to the exam building conferencing system. Criminal groups run high power transmitters near the exam locations in order to support all these mobile devices. The cheating activities have been discovered across all provinces and have been growing.

Source: The Paper, June 7, 2017
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1702434

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Briefings | | |   Social Stability