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China Proposes Legislation to Regulate AI-Generated Content and Protect National Security

China’s Cyberspace Administration has drafted provisional regulations to govern anthropomorphic AI interaction services, prohibiting the generation and dissemination of content that endangers national security, damages national honor and interests, or spreads rumors that disrupt economic and social order.

According to the official website of China’s Cyberspace Administration, the draft “Interim Measures for the Management of Anthropomorphic Artificial Intelligence Interaction Services” was released for public consultation on December 27th. The proposed regulations aim to promote the healthy development and standardized application of anthropomorphic AI interaction services while safeguarding national security, social public interests, and the legitimate rights of citizens, legal entities, and other organizations. The measures advocate for innovative development of these services while implementing prudent and classified supervision to prevent abuse and loss of control.

The draft outlines eight prohibited activities for providers and users of anthropomorphic interaction services. These include generating or spreading content that harms national security, damages national honor and interests, undermines ethnic unity, conducts illegal religious activities, or spreads rumors disrupting economic and social order. Additionally, the regulations prohibit content promoting obscenity, gambling, violence, or criminal instruction, as well as content that insults or defames others and infringes upon their legitimate rights.

The measures also forbid services that provide false promises significantly affecting user behavior or damage social relationships. Further restrictions address activities that harm users’ physical health through encouraging or glorifying suicide and self-harm, or damage psychological health through verbal violence and emotional manipulation. The regulations prohibit inducing unreasonable user decisions through algorithmic manipulation, information misleading, or emotional traps, as well as soliciting classified sensitive information and other violations of laws and regulations.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), December 28, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202512280074.aspx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Information/Technology

China Announces Mandates of National Real-Name Registration and Identification of Civilian Drones

China’s market regulator has issued two mandatory national standards for civilian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), focusing on real-name registration, activation, and operational identification. Under the new rules, all civilian drones in China must display registration information and complete real-name registration and activation before they can be flown. The standards also require drones to continuously broadcast identity, position, speed, and status data during flight to ensure full visibility and regulatory oversight.

The regulations mandate additional technical requirements, including anti-tampering protections for identification systems and the storage of flight data for at least 120 flight hours. Drones will be prohibited from flying if their identification systems are not functioning properly.

Both standards will take effect on May 1 next year, with transition periods for existing drones and manufacturers. Producers must upgrade older models within 12 months, while previously sold drones will have a 36-month transition period to meet the new requirements. After this period, non-compliant drones will be banned from operation. Authorities also plan to implement product certification and enforce penalties against non-compliant manufacturing and sales.

Source: Huanqiu Times, December 9, 2025
https://uav.huanqiu.com/article/4PTwtDoP9tG

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology Social Stability

Huanqiu Times: China Emerges as the World’s Largest Robot Producer and a Leading Global Exporter

Huanqiu Times reported, citing Vietnam News Agency, that China has become the world’s largest producer of robots, manufacturing 556,000 industrial robots and nearly 10.52 million service robots in 2024. As technology advances and applications expand, Chinese-made robots are rapidly entering global markets and driving industrial innovation. In 2024, China also became the second-largest exporter of industrial robots worldwide, with exports surging 61.5 percent year over year in the first half of the year.

Beyond industrial robots, Chinese service and humanoid robots are seeing growing international adoption. Shanghai-based Keenon Robotics has deployed service robots in restaurants, hotels, and hospitals across more than 60 countries and regions, while Shenzhen-based Chasing Innovation has exported underwater robots to over 100 countries for seabed exploration, emergency rescue, and scientific research.

Looking ahead, Moga Technology aims to sell over 40,000 humanoid robots and 90,000 robotic dogs globally by 2030, targeting applications such as retail, reception, consultation, and companionship.

Source: Huanqiu Times, December 10, 2025
https://finance.huanqiu.com/article/4PUmHNOgwot

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Information/Technology

CNA: NVIDIA Develops Location Verification Technology

Taiwan’s primary news agency, the Central News Agency (CNA), recently reported that NVIDIA has confirmed the development of a “location verification” technology capable of determining the country in which its chips are actually operating. The feature is designed to help prevent NVIDIA’s artificial intelligence (AI) chips from being smuggled into countries subject to U.S. export restrictions.

The technology has been demonstrated privately over the past few months but has not yet been officially released. It can be installed by customers and relies on NVIDIA GPUs’ confidential (secure) computing capabilities. According to NVIDIA sources, the software was originally created to help customers monitor overall computing performance. It estimates a chip’s location by analyzing communication latency with NVIDIA servers, with accuracy comparable to that of standard internet-based location services. NVIDIA stressed that the software does not allow the company to remotely control or interfere with customer systems, and that all telemetry data sent to NVIDIA servers is read-only, meaning the servers cannot write data back to the chips.

NVIDIA’s location-verification feature is widely seen as a response to pressure from the White House and bipartisan members of Congress to strengthen export controls. In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against several China-linked smuggling networks, accusing them of attempting to illegally export more than US$160 million worth of NVIDIA chips to China.

Source: CNA, December 11, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ait/202512110148.aspx

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

LTN: Taiwan Blocks Chinese Social Media App “Red Note” for One Year

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that the Taiwanese Interior Ministry has announced a one-year ban on the popular Chinese social media app Red Note, citing a crackdown on fraud.

Governments around the world expressed deep concern about cybersecurity vulnerabilities associated with Chinese apps like Red Note and TikTok, as well as the growing prevalence of disinformation campaigns on such apps. Furthermore, Chinese regulations require Chinese-operated companies to store data domestically within China and to allow the Chinese government full access to that data. Beijing actively monitors and censors content that it deems unfavorable, a practice experts say can influence public opinion.

Red Note has rapidly gained popularity among young people in Taiwan in recent years, reaching three million users, or 13% of Taiwan’s population of 23 million. This Red Note platform has raised concerns among Taiwanese officials, as Red Note has been involved in 1,706 fraud cases within the past two years. The Taiwanese Ministry of the Interior said that Red Note is a “malicious platform” that “transmits users’ personal data to certain locations in China,” and that Red Note is illegal in Taiwan as the platform “did not appoint a legal representative in Taiwan, comply with local laws and regulations, and fulfill [other] legal obligations.”

Source: LTN, December 6, 2025
https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/5269356

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

EVs Used in Norwegian Mines Transmitting Data to Chinese Satellites

Norwegian researchers have found that NIO ES8 electric vehicles operating inside underground mines are repeatedly attempting to connect to China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system instead of Western systems such as GPS. Notably, these connection attempts continue even when the vehicles are powered off.

Data analysis indicates that roughly 90% of the vehicles’ transmitted signals are routed to servers in China. The fact that the cars attempt to connect with BeiDou deep underground – where satellite signals cannot reach – suggests this behavior is deliberately programmed rather than incidental.

Researchers say the purpose of the transmitted data remains unknown. Cybersecurity experts warn that such data could carry intelligence value, raising concerns about privacy, surveillance, and potential national security implications.

Source: Epoch Times, November 19, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/11/18/n14638487.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Lianhe Zaobao: Nvidia’s Chip Sales in China Expected to Be Zero in the Next Two Quarters

Singapore’s leading Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported that Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said U.S. export restrictions have effectively halted the company’s chip sales in China. He expects Nvidia’s sales in the Chinese market to drop to zero for at least the next two quarters.

Huang urged Washington and Beijing to improve trade relations, arguing that access to the Chinese market is essential for maintaining U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence. “Being able to compete in China also helps us succeed globally,” he said, emphasizing that the U.S. needs to restore its market presence in China to sustain its global leadership in AI.

He noted that China’s AI chip market is currently valued at around US$50 billion and could expand to US$200 billion by 2030, yet American companies are currently shut out of this growth. China has long been a major revenue source that enables companies to reinvest and accelerate innovation, Huang said. “But for now, we have to assume our sales are zero.”

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, November 21, 2025
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/finance/china/story20251121-7853814?ref=global-finance

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

Major Leak Exposes Chinese Cyber Contractor’s Global Hacking Operations

A massive data breach at Chinese cybersecurity firm Knownsec (知道创宇) has exposed its extensive global hacking and surveillance activities. More than 12,000 confidential files – including hacker tool specifications, cross-platform remote-access trojans, surveillance target lists, and large-scale data-theft records – briefly appeared on GitHub before being removed.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Beijing, Knownsec runs the hacker team “404 Lab” and is regarded as a major contractor for China’s military and intelligence agencies. The company serves financial institutions, government bodies, and major internet firms, received significant investment from Tencent, and employs over 900 staff. The U.S. placed Knownsec on its entity sanctions list in 2022.

The leaked documents show that Knownsec built remote-access trojans for Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, enabling persistent access across a wide range of systems. Its Android tools could extract message histories from Chinese chat apps and Telegram for targeted surveillance. The leak also detailed hardware-based attack tools, including a malicious power bank capable of secretly exfiltrating data – demonstrating supply-chain attack methods that bypass traditional software defenses.

According to Cyber Press, spreadsheets in the leaked materials document intrusions into more than 80 foreign organizations, involving massive data theft. Examples include:

  • 95GB of Indian immigration records
  • 3TB of call logs from South Korea’s LG UPlus
  • 459GB of Taiwanese road-planning data
  • Password data from Taiwan Yahoo and Brazil LinkedIn accounts

The targets span over 20 countries and regions, including Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom – indicating a broad, systematic intelligence-gathering campaign.

Security firm StealthMole further reported that Knownsec conducted internet-infrastructure mapping in 28 countries, covering the Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Source: Epoch Times, November 14, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/11/13/n14635466.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military Information/Technology