Latest news with #CyberspaceAdministrationofChina
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
China's new digital ID plan links every click to the Communist Party
The scheme issues each person who registers a unique "internet code" and a digital certificate after submitting their national ID card and facial recognition data Abhijeet Kumar New Delhi Earlier this month, China rolled out a government-run national digital identity system for internet users, administered jointly by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The age-old idea that 'someone is always watching' is no longer a metaphor. It's fast becoming a technical certainty in the 'communist' nation. With the rollout of a sweeping state-run digital ID system, every login, post, purchase, and comment made online could soon be tied directly to a government-issued certificate. What was once an abstract concern about surveillance, the architecture of total visibility is now being coded into the country's internet backbone — line by line and login by login. The scheme issues each person who registers a unique 'internet code' and a digital certificate after submitting their national ID card and facial recognition data. Initially optional, it already supports trials across major platforms like Taobao and Xiaohongshu and is expected to extend rapidly to the country's one billion internet users. What issues does China's digital ID system raise? The new system replaces platform-managed identity verification (via phone numbers or user IDs) with a centrally controlled database. While platforms lose access to raw identity data, authorities gain a unified view across all registered online accounts — potentially mapping a user's entire digital footprint within one system, The Washington Post reported. Although proponents point to enhanced data security, privacy experts have warned that consolidating sensitive biometric and identity data increases the risks of large-scale leaks. Like in 2022, when hackers reportedly exposed personal records for over one billion people from a Shanghai police database, including names, ID numbers, and phone data. Though the government describes the ID as voluntary, critics say it may become mandatory by default: access to essential online services (payment systems, messaging, commuting apps) could depend on possession of a digital ID. Once legal usage becomes compulsory, refusal would effectively block a citizen from daily life online. What does the Chinese government claim is the purpose? Chinese authorities have promoted the digital ID as a 'protective shield' — a measure designed to safeguard citizens' personal information from corporate misuse, fraud, and data leaks by reducing the need to hand over real-name credentials to myriad online platforms. According to an official statement, it supports convenience, privacy protection, and the healthy growth of China's digital economy. Why are critics slamming the move? Experts around the world contend the system will enable more precise surveillance — potentially leading to personalised censorship, tailored not by geography or platform, but by individual users. This means content, account access, or online presence could be restricted at the personal level. Additionally, the digital ID fast-tracks the erosion of what little anonymity remained under China's existing real-name laws. How does China's surveillance approach compare globally? China's surveillance matrix, which comprises the Great Firewall, Project Sharp Eyes video network, deep-packet inspection of internet traffic, mandatory real-name accounts on platforms like Weixin/WeChat, and widespread facial-recognition cameras, is among the world's most pervasive state systems. Human rights organisations have warned that China's internet ID model may become a template for other authoritarian governments seeking to formalise or intensify digital control. Organisations like Article 19 and Chinese Human Rights Defenders highlight an international concern: adoption of such systems elsewhere could erode online freedoms globally. Where does China's 'Hukou system' fit into the picture? China's legacy hukou household-registration system already divides citizens into rural or urban residence categories, restricting access to services, jobs, social benefits, and mobility. The digital ID scheme, layered atop hukou, will further deepen state tracing, tying together not only physical residency but digital presence to national identity. Citizens might find themselves cut off online if they migrate without hukou status updates, or face constraints in accessing local digital services outside their residential tier. This replicates the physical constraints of hukou in the digital realm, locking users to location-tied identity and reinforcing social hierarchy. How will Chinese companies interact with the digital ID system? Under the new rules, private companies will no longer manage identity validation themselves: they must accept the government-issued digital certificate for user login and verification. The CAC and MPS effectively sell or license identity-validation data — platforms 'buy' or process data via government channels rather than build their own user-ID infrastructure. This will potentially shift monetisation of identity control away from companies toward the state. In theory, it reduces third-party data aggregation by platforms — but it also removes one layer of separation between citizens and direct oversight by authorities. Firms will become more or less obliged to integrate with state-issued credentials rather than holding user identities themselves. What would life look like for ordinary Chinese citizens? In everyday terms, the digital ID system promises seamless access to online services without entering phone numbers or ID each time. But the trade-off is deeper: once registered, every post, comment, purchase, and login could be directly linked to one unique number traceable by the state. That raises concerns about digital exile — if someone loses or is restricted in their ID, they may be locked out of financial services, messaging apps, shopping portals, and transit systems. Content posting becomes riskier; users may avoid sensitive topics, lest their digitally authenticated activity draws attention. This intensified, centralised oversight mirrors the hukou system's control over where you live, work, or enroll in school. In the digital realm, that translates into control of what one says, where they browse, and which online services they can use — all connected by a single, state-issued ID.
Newsweek
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
China's New Internet Law Raises Privacy Fears for 1 Billion Users
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. China has officially launched internet identification requirements that rights groups have warned will further curtail online anonymity and increase the risks for freedom of speech in what is already one of the world's strictest online censorship and surveillance systems. The new mechanism developed by the Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China came into effect on Tuesday. Why It Matters Human rights groups say the internet identification is a new attack on freedom of speech in China that will put anyone who dares question authority at even greater risk. Chinese authorities say the system will enhance security and convenience for the public online and boost the digital economy. The internet in China is already tightly controlled and censored. The "Great Firewall" blocks the country's more than 1 billion users from accessing international sites and services without a government-approved virtual private network app, or VPN. CCTV surveillance cameras monitoring a major road near Tiananmen Square in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on 18 April 2024. Rights groups fear a new online identification system will increase surveillance of internet users and further... CCTV surveillance cameras monitoring a major road near Tiananmen Square in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on 18 April 2024. Rights groups fear a new online identification system will increase surveillance of internet users and further stifle free speech. MoreWhat To Know The system is intended to "protect citizens' identity information, and support the healthy and orderly development of the digital economy," according to rules published by Chinese authorities. It requires internet users to register through the National Online Identity Authentication App with their national ID cards and facial recognition. Users will then be issued with an "internet code," made up of letters and digits, as well as an "internet certificate," allowing them access to various services and applications without having to key in login credentials and repeatedly pass personal details to service providers. For now, registration is voluntary but authorities have been encouraging public and private services and general users to adopt it. Many major platforms including the popular WeChat messaging and payments system are using it. Registration could increasingly become necessary for anyone navigating the internet in China. Internet users in China already have to use their real names to get access to digital services under a 2017 Cybersecurity Law and rights groups fear the new system will mean an intensification of government efforts to control online activity, stamp out dissent and smother free speech. "Internet users across China already endure heavy censorship and control by the government," Shane Yi, a researcher with the group Chinese Human Rights Defenders said in a statement last month. "The new internet ID regulations escalate Beijing's attack on free speech, putting human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and anyone who questions authority at even greater risk." Xiao Qiang, a research scientist studying internet freedom at the University of California, Berkeley said the system can "directly erase voices it doesn't like from the internet." "So it's more than just a surveillance tool—it is an infrastructure of digital totalitarianism," he said. What People Are Saying Michael Caster, head of Global China Programme at the international free-speech organization Article 19, said: "Anonymity provides for the privacy and security fundamental to exercising the freedom of opinion and expression. In further chipping away at potential online anonymity through the creation of a national internet ID, in an ecosystem where the Cybersecurity Law already mandates real-name identity verification, China is clearly seeking to intensify its efforts at silencing critical voices." An unidentified Public Security Ministry official told China's official Xinhua news agency: "This service not only ensures secure and convenient identity verification for citizens but also supports the growth of China's digital economy." What Happens Next The new regulation could become compulsory or the requirement could become so prevalent that internet users feel forced to sign up to navigate online.
The Star
20-06-2025
- The Star
China has dealt with over 3,500 non-compliant AI products since April
BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- China's cyberspace watchdogs have addressed issues with over 3,500 artificial intelligence (AI) products that were not compliant with relevant rules since April, including mini-programs, web applications and AI agents. This is a result of a campaign launched in April, targeting the abuse of AI technology in forms such as deepfake face-swapping and voice-cloning that infringes on public interests, as well as the failure to properly label AI-generated content that has misled the public, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Friday. More than 960,000 items with illegal or harmful content were removed from the internet, and over 3,700 related accounts were shut down over the period, the CAC said. During this phase, the CAC instructed local cyberspace authorities to intensify their actions against non-compliant AI products, and to cut off their marketing and traffic channels. It urged major websites and platforms to strengthen their technical safeguards. Efforts were also made to accelerate the implementation of labeling regulations for AI-generated content. In the next phase of the campaign, the CAC will focus on prominent issues such as AI-generated rumors and vulgar online content, build a technical monitoring system, and standardize sanction protocols to maintain a healthy online environment and steer AI development in a more positive direction.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Apple and Alibaba's AI rollout in China delayed by Trump's trade war: Report
HighlightsThe rollout of artificial intelligence services by Apple Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Limited in China is being delayed by the Cyberspace Administration of China due to rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. The delay in launching advanced AI features could significantly impact Apple Inc.'s sales in China, where it is already facing stiff competition from domestic rivals like Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. US President Donald Trump's trade policies have further complicated Apple's situation, including a 25% tariff on iPhones sold in the United States that are not manufactured domestically. Apple and Alibaba's rollout of artificial intelligence services in China is being delayed by a Beijing regulator, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, as the partnership becomes the latest to take a hit due to US President Donald Trump's trade war. The tech companies in February announced a deal to support iPhones' AI services offering in China, a move likely to help the US company ease falling smartphone sales in its key market. But their applications have been stalled at the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), FT reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, due to increasing geopolitical uncertainties between China and the US. AI features are especially important in China and consumer-facing AI products require regulatory approval. Apple and Alibaba did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, while the CAC could not immediately be reached. A delay in the rollout of the features could prove costly for Apple, which is facing declining iPhone sales in China amid growing competition from domestic rivals, particularly Huawei, which has integrated DeepSeek's AI models into its cloud services and devices. Industry analysts have pointed to the absence of advanced AI features - a key selling point in latest-generation smartphones - as a significant disadvantage for Apple in the Chinese market. The iPhone maker has also been slow in rolling out Apple Intelligence, a set of features with access to ChatGPT, with several advanced AI tools available on competing Android smartphones. Trump in late May said that Apple would pay a 25% tariff on iPhones that are sold in the United States but not made in the country. Apple will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) from June 9 to 13, and it will highlight updates to the software powering iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices.
BusinessToday
24-05-2025
- Business
- BusinessToday
Even China Is Not Immune To Financial Cybercrime
China's cyberspace regulator is taking to task over rising cases of online financial scams and is seeking to collaborate with financial regulators to shut down a series of accounts and websites spreading false information about capital markets, promoting illegal stock recommendations, and fueling hype around cryptocurrency transactions. The agency noted that some of the targeted accounts were also found to be disseminating content related to illicit or semi-illicit activities within the financial sector, the Cyberspace Administration of China said on Saturday. It added that it would maintain its tough stance against such activities, urging internet users to remain vigilant against potential risks, and verify financial information carefully. The Chinese government has cautioned the public against spreading or believing rumors, and urged people to steer clear of unlawful financial schemes to avoid potential losses or breaches of personal data. Related
