China and Taiwan News 中国和台湾新闻
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News from non-state media sources about China and Taiwan. 来自非国营来源关于中国和台湾的新闻。中英双语 Bilingual English and Chinese
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Wechat and tiktok are definitely apps owned by Chinese companies. Which means under the ccp-laws, they are required to hand over user data. How’s that not affecting national security?

Also another ccp-affiliated company, Huawei, also tried to have law suits against the gov and failed.

Guess suing the gov just their thing?

#ccp #china #huawei #tiktok #wechat #wecom #meme #US #america #boycottchina #boycottchineseapp #english #diyms #usa
#OpinionArticle

The Pentagon Is Urging Its Subordinates Not To Test Their Genes Casually, How About You?

(24 Aug) On 20 December, 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense issued an internal memo advising its component personnel not to use commercial DNA testing kits, citing the potential security risks posed by these tests.

//but the protection of privacy for the subject is close to zero. Even if you buy the set under a false name, pay for it with a secret credit card, and receive it at an address that is not your own, the DNA sample is unique to you and can be traced back to only you.

//In the People's Republic of China, notifications can even be set up as a
WeChat widget, which is how your personal genetic information is linked to WeChat. As long as you have a few more people around you who are genetically linked to you for testing, your relationship and your personal identity will have nowhere to hide.

Full translation: https://telegra.ph/The-Pentagon-Is-Urging-Its-Subordinates-Not-To-Test-Their-Genes-Casually-How-About-You-09-07

Source: Pazu’s Facebook
https://bit.ly/2R2Gjsc
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#DNAtest #GeneticInformation #Privacy #CommunityWideTesting #WeGene #CircleDNA #23MagicCube #WeChat
WeChat Censorship Tightens with Chinese State Media Articles Containing Sensitive Words Blocked Too, Says University of Toronto Study

A report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab released this week shows that censorship on WeChat has been tightened. The lab tracked changes to WeChat’s list of censored words between this January and May. It was found that over 2,000 words relating to the pandemic have been marked sensitive and blocked. An article by the state media, too, would disappear from the platform if it contains any of those sensitive words, shwoing that the freedom of expression on WeChat is even more limited than that allowed by the state media.

As WeChat censors contents on a remote server, it was not possible for the researchers to understand how the censorship works by inspecting the codes. What they did instead was to create three dummy accounts with one Chinese and two Canadian numbers. They then started a group conversation where they shared Chinese-language articles from media organizations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. By observing which articles were blocked, they identified the words deemed sensitive by WeChat.

The study reveals that more than 2,000 words relating to the Wuhan virus pandemic were blocked by WeChat between this January and May, even if they came in an article by the state media. That WeChat banned certain topics allowed by the state-controlled media is a sign that it adheres to an even more stringent standard.

The investigation shows how WeChat has manipulated the narrative on the pandemic from the start. It was found that back when Wuhan was placed under lockdown, WeChat was already blocking texts containing the name of the whistle-blower Li Wenliang. Reports of the Chinese authorities informing the US of the outbreak as early as on 3 January were also blocked. Articles containing the terms “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” and “SARS-CoV-2”, too, were banned from being circulated.

As the epidemic spread to the rest of world in March, WeChat began blocking articles mentioning such international organizations as the WHO and the Red Cross and those that dealt with outbreaks in countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the UK. Articles containing keywords about the US and international relations were also banned.

#UniversityOfToronto #UofT #CitizenLab #China #WeChat #Censorship #Pandemic #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #LiWenliang

Source: Apple Daily #Aug29

https://bit.ly/3h3ftL4
#Sanction
U.S. to Ban Transaction and Download of China's #WeChat and #Tiktok From Sept 20, 2020

The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a statement on Sept 18, 2020, prohibiting transactions and downloads relating to Chinese mobile applications WeChat and TikTok, starting from Sept 20, 2020. Hosting or transfering internet traffic associated with WeChat will also be banned.

"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S."

These threats include "collect[ing] vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories"; being "active participant in China’s civil-military fusion"; and their "mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP."

Source: U.S. Commerce Department #Sept18
Image: AP

https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2020/09/commerce-department-prohibits-wechat-and-tiktok-transactions-protect
Australian Media Said a WeChat Group Organised to Complain University Staff, Suppressing on Giving a Higher Score

Australia is the first choice for many Chinese students studying abroad. The Australian discovered that a local WeChat group initiated an organised petition to complain about individual staff, intending to obtain a better academic result through suppression. The media then found out that the same group uses the same method to target lecturers and researchers who have ever criticised China.

According to The Australian, Sydney International Student Help Group, the WeChat group, claimed that they could overthrow the unsatisfied exam results or assignment grades at the advertisement in the chats and on the local Chinese websites. The media once pointed out that some lecturers at universities lowered the grade boundaries for students who have limited English proficiency, or else, they would receive complaints from hundreds of students. At the time, some affected students speculated that there might have other people helping students to organise and to write the complaint letter.

The group administrators are named “Chairperson” or “Senior” with unknown identities. After the investigation by The Australian, “Monkey King”, a migration and studying abroad agency, may take control of the group admin. The Australian therefore enquired Monkey King, but the spokesperson Katie Howe refused to comment on this issue. Nevertheless, the representative lawyer of one of the shareholders, Chenrul Dong, said that the company did use the group for service promotion, but do not have the permission to control the group. Apart from institutions, the company website also shows the corporation relationship with Chinese organisations, such as NetEase and Today Media Group.

#China #Australia #AcademicFreedom #Suppression #TheAustralian #MonkeyKing #WeChat

Source: Stand News #Nov19

https://bit.ly/3mmcroH
Australian PM's response of 'Australian Army Killing Children' Picture Controversy Censored by Wechat for 'Misleading and Contrary to Objective Facts'

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian caused a diplomatic storm after posted a cartoon satirising killing the Afghan civilians by Australian soldiers on Twitter. On Tuesday (1 December), Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison posted a comment on WeChat in response to Zhao, but was deleted by WeChat, due to "inflammatory, misleading and contrary to objective facts". The incident has also caught international attention, such as New Zealand, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Taiwan, issuing statements supporting Australia.

Zhao Lijian recently shared a cartoon on the social networking site Twitter, sketching Australian soldiers killing an Afghan child. Morrison criticised China on Monday (30 November) that the fake image is offensive and revolting, and demanded an apology with image removal from China.

Morrison later issued another WeChat commentary, saying that the military crime report allegations were being dealt with in an "honest and transparent" manner, stressing that Australia was dealing with military crimes in the way that "any free, democratic and enlightened country" would. Morrison also said that the diplomatic row between Australia and China would not diminish Australia's respect and appreciation for the Chinese people. Australian media said 57,000 people had clicked to view the comment.

Source: Stand News #Dec03

https://bit.ly/2KSq0P0

#China #Australia #SinoAustrlianRelations #ChineseForeignMinistry #ChineseForeignMinistrySpokesman #ZhaoLijian #AustralianPrimeMinister #ScottMorrison #SatireCartoon #AustralianSoldier #WeChat #Censorship