On 1. June a controversial Cybersecurity act comes into force in China. The latest global hacker attack, it makes the critics of the law, however, now much heavier DW says Sieren columnist Frank.
Also China was affected by the recent hacker attack at the end of last week
So it doesn’t fit somehow: Economically, China has been searching for some time for closer global cooperation. International cooperation instead of Isolation, Beijing has written large on the flags. Free trade zones are created, the visa rules are weakened, and trade contracts closed. Just the summit and the revival of trade along the old silk street in Beijing has come to an end. The neighbors of China are to benefit to Europe and Africa from the investments of China in infrastructure and trade.
Only at a boundary of the guide remains hard: the virtual. Here nothing is moving in the direction of a liberalisation. On the contrary, The recent global hacking attacks the government will make it even easier, their plans of increased network control. Last November, the national Congress approved a law on Internet safety, the now on 1. June will come into force.
Detailed disclosure of foreign products
The law provides for, among other things, the establishment of a Committee to evaluate technical products from foreign companies, before they are allowed to be used in China. The company must provide the Committee a lot of valuable information, such as exact technical Details and encryption of data. Originally, even the source code were required, but after fierce criticism from abroad has deleted this point from the law. Nevertheless, furthermore, sensitive data are required, and the fact that all the foreign Hard – and Software has to go through this process, Chinese but not to worry, of course, for competitive disadvantages, according to critics.
That’s why 54 different trade associations claim in a joint letter, a suspension of the law. The signatories include the US-China Business Council, Business Europe, the American Chamber of Commerce in China, the Japanese counterpart, and the Germans among others have signed it. A response to the claim, it was not so far from Beijing.
Legal Risk Prevention
The new law focuses on the security and protection of networks. In addition, be defined in the 79 articles of the draft a lot of responsibilities. So will be fixed in the future, for example, exactly who is responsible for the content of websites, or the Securing of relevant data is responsible and what the penalties are imposed in case of Breach. In the case of emergencies, such as system or hacker attacks, certain procedures are established to fail. As a kind of guide is actually helpful for everyone Involved, because everyone knows where he stands. The government has a current Internet guide and the Internet operators are aware of their limits.
DW-columnist Frank Sieren
How necessary this is, shows the current WannaCry-attack that has also caught on in China, parts of public IT-structures. About 30,000 different Chinese Agencies to be involved: the police, as well as government agencies, but also schools and universities. Although the direct damage is considered to be not so great. The attack makes it clear how vulnerable many systems are today, and how quickly a Virus can spread when a corresponding gap. Therefore, it is quite reasonable to keep the Internet laws up-to-date.
The Problem with such a law is, however, at the Moment when it compromises the neutrality of the parties Involved and the country of the legislator, one-sided benefits. Exactly this criticism draws the new Internet law from Beijing. Not only due to the preference of Chinese products in foreign, as described above, but also because Chinese Internet is likely to be users in the future, a victim of the stricter Cybersecurity regulations. Because the Chinese government wants to not only increase the security in the network, but, of course, content to control. Although this is in principle nothing New, but the scope of the authorities, the new law is greater.
Qualification for the state Agency
Since the beginning of may, news portals and search engines are more under the microscope. Anyone who works for a News page, has to prove himself in a qualifications system to the state news Agency Xinhua. So wrong news, rumors and hazardous information is to be fought, it is called officially. It may not be totally wrong, but just as clear is that in this way, in the first line of system-critical elements and unwanted discussions on the Internet is minimized.
But the Internet would not be what it is, if not in the future paths of these regulations would be found. It worked in the past on virtual private networks, VPNs, private WeChat group is comparable with the short message service WhatsApp, or any other tricks. An iron to the Internet-as a rule, one should not forget the government in Beijing: In the Internet there is always someone who is smarter than the checkers.
Our correspondent Frank Sieren has lived for more than 20 years in Beijing.