Sham security
1 min read . Updated: 10 Sep 2020, 10:22 PM ISTIt’s well known that China is under an authoritarian regime that cares little for the privacy of its own citizens, who are digitally watched and tracked like prison inmates. Only the naïve would take its data security pledges at face value
China’s “global data security" initiative, announced by its foreign minister Wang Yi, seems designed to fight off concerns over Beijing’s prying eyes, rather than actually safeguarding anyone’s privacy. It has been on the defensive globally. The US has had Chinese firms such as Huawei and apps like TikTok under the scanner, on suspicions of sneaking data to Beijing, while India banned several apps that could leak data to a hostile neighbour. Wang Yi acknowledged the threat posed by cyber security breaches, but offered no credible evidence that anything was being done to shield data.
China’s avowals sound hollow. Its aim seems to be to save overseas markets that Chinese companies could soon lose. Specifically, it might be trying to relieve pressure imposed by the US on TikTok to sell out to local investors. Recently, Beijing made it mandatory for this app’s owner, ByteDance, to get its nod for any such deal. It’s well known that China is under an authoritarian regime that cares little for the privacy of its own citizens, who are digitally watched and tracked like prison inmates. Only the naïve would take its data security pledges at face value.
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