China Proposes New File Sharing Rules

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Facts

  • China's internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration, on Tuesday, proposed new guidelines to regulate wireless file-sharing functions such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that echo rules imposed on telecommunication companies and online services, seeking public feedback until July 6.1
  • Under the suggested rules, users would have to register with their real names, with service providers being required to prevent the spread of illegal and undesirable information as well as to share data with regulators and police.2
  • Activists claim that this latest move is intended to suppress the few remaining file-sharing tools at their disposal in China, where the internet has been tightly controlled.3
  • However, the draft proposal — which comes after protesters used Apple's AirDrop to share content in October 2022 — cites "national security and social public interests."4
  • Apple limited the use of the AirDrop function on iPhones in China later that year, allowing users to receive files from non-contacts during a ten-minute window.5
  • Close-range wireless communication features have become popular among Chinese protesters, as they allow users to anonymously share images without the need to rely on an internet connection.6

Sources: 1The Register, 2Evening Standard, 3BBC News, 4CNN, 5Guardian, and 6South China Morning Post.

Narratives

  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by South China Morning Post. Beijing is boosting national security by restricting wireless file-sharing services between mobile devices. While the move follows mainland zero-COVID and Hong Kong anti-government protesters' use of the technology to spread subversive messages, it's all about cybersecurity, ensuring that transmission of information that threatens national security can be traced.
  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by BBC News. Chinese censors are working to plug loopholes to silence all opposition, turning the country into an Orwellian totalitarian tech state. The Communist Party wants to know what is said and control all the information that's shared, forcing Western phone and app developers to play by the new rules and provide the Chinese government with further censorship capabilities.

Predictions