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China Technology

China Is Planning To Restrict and Scrutinise the Use of Wireless Filesharing Services (theguardian.com) 17

Longtime Slashdot reader mspohr shares a report from The Guardian: China is planning to restrict and scrutinize the use of wireless filesharing services between mobile devices, such as airdrop and Bluetooth, after they were used by protesters to evade censorship and spread protest messages. The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's top internet regulator, has released draft regulations on "close-range mesh network services" and launched a month-long public consultation on Tuesday.

Under the proposed rules, service providers would have to prevent the dissemination of harmful and illegal information, save relevant records and report their discovery to regulators. Service providers would also have to provide data and technical assistance to the relevant authorities, including internet regulators and the police, when they conduct inspections. Users must also register with their real names. In addition, features and technologies that have the capability to mobilize public opinion must undergo a security assessment before they could be introduced.

Apple, in particular, came under the spotlight after some Chinese protesters used airdrop in 2022 to bypass surveillance and circulate messages critical of the regime by sending them to strangers on public transport. The tool was a relatively untraceable method for sharing files in China, where most social media and messaging platforms are tightly monitored. Shortly later, Apple limited the use of airdrop on iPhones in China, allowing Chinese users to receive files from non-contacts for only ten minutes at a time. The proposed rules will take control of similar functions up a notch, requiring the receiving of files and preview of thumbnails to be disabled by default.

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China Is Planning To Restrict and Scrutinise the Use of Wireless Filesharing Services

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  • by migos ( 10321981 ) on Friday June 09, 2023 @06:27PM (#63589988)
  • by Miles_O'Toole ( 5152533 ) on Friday June 09, 2023 @06:33PM (#63590004)

    Anyone who doubts China is building the most all-encompassing surveillance state in the history of civilization is deluding themselves. My only concern is how much of the Big-Brother-on-steroids totalitarian regime they are creating winds up being exported to the rest of us.

    The claims by Google, Apple, Microsoft and other tech giants that letting them do business with China would help make that country free have always been false. Now we know they're worse than false. Silicon Valley views China as a blueprint.

    • My only concern is how much of the Big-Brother-on-steroids totalitarian regime they are creating winds up being exported to the rest of us.

      All of it. China sells its Great Firewall technology [wikipedia.org] to any country interested, so it all depends on who their respective populations put in power, if democratic, or, if not democratic, who they allow to continue in power making decisions.

  • Good job, China!! (Score:1, Insightful)

    by gavron ( 1300111 )

    Yes, China, keep putting the thumb on your people. That will just bring the revolution faster.
    Remember Tiananman Square? Oh, you erased that from the Internet? No, the rest of us
    are on the big side of your firewall and we still have the records.

    It's like the age-old question "Why would you burn that bridge?" Because you're on the
    small side of it. Your military generals are great for one thing: General's chicken.

  • How are they going to do anything to people in China who have rooted their phone and installed their own OS? How do you stop people from using the wireless radio in their own phone to stop the spread of information? (And why would you even bother trying?)

    • You can't do that on newer Apple devices as far as I know. Apple had years to lock down their devices (air turn key, make lock noise, kiss fingers) to stop their users from doing anything that Father Apple does not approve of. The side 'benefit' is to help fascist regimes keep a nice tight grip on their populace.
    • by dstwins ( 167742 )
      Also China can and does fingerprint devices as they connect to mobile networks, so they can tell when a phone type connects that doesn't conform to what they expect and depending on the layers and websites, they can tell a rooted phone from an unrooted phone.. and since SIM cards in china are REQUIRED to be granted by persons with ID's/passwords/addresses.. this information is easy.

      They don't care about whatever apple does because while it may help in some ways, it also frustrates them.. and apple has a tri
    • by gweihir ( 88907 )

      This is just the usual combination of incompetence and arrogance of small people given power found all over the world. Of course there is no "service provider" in "close-range mesh networks" as they are not a "service" in the first place.

  • They are preventing the open flow of information, to the point that people will have to ask governmental permission to share recipes. They are also making other moves such as taking their most successful citizens into custody for the sin of being influential independently of the party. All this actually makes sense at first glance, when you think of it from the viewpoint of an authoritarian government who is worried about control and stability. But this particular authoritarian government also wants to b
  • There is no "service provider" in close-range mesh-networks. Hence nobody can do these things they want. This is just the usual "officials being incompetent while trying to impose restrictions". This combination of stupidity and arrogance in anybody with some official function is certainly not restricted to China but found all over the world.

No amount of careful planning will ever replace dumb luck.

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