Facebook, Twitter, Google Face Free-Speech Test in Hong Kong
New national-security law means authorities can ask companies to delete users or their content
HONG KONG—U.S. technology titans face a looming test of their free-speech credentials in Hong Kong as China’s new national-security law for the city demands local authorities take measures to supervise and regulate its uncensored internet.
Facebook Inc. and its Instagram service, Twitter Inc. and YouTube, a unit of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, operate freely in the city even as they have been shut out or opted out of the mainland’s tightly controlled internet, which uses the “Great Firewall” to censor information.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-twitter-google-face-free-speech-test-in-hong-kong-11593790205
#asia #china #hongkong #freespeech #censorship
New national-security law means authorities can ask companies to delete users or their content
HONG KONG—U.S. technology titans face a looming test of their free-speech credentials in Hong Kong as China’s new national-security law for the city demands local authorities take measures to supervise and regulate its uncensored internet.
Facebook Inc. and its Instagram service, Twitter Inc. and YouTube, a unit of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, operate freely in the city even as they have been shut out or opted out of the mainland’s tightly controlled internet, which uses the “Great Firewall” to censor information.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-twitter-google-face-free-speech-test-in-hong-kong-11593790205
#asia #china #hongkong #freespeech #censorship
Hong Kong police granted sweeping security surveillance powers
Hong Kong's police have been granted vastly expanded powers to conduct warrantless raids and surveillance -- as well as issue internet takedown notices -- under Beijing's new national security law.
The announcement comes as major tech companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter said they were suspending requests from the Hong Kong government and law enforcement authorities for information on users.
The new provisions, disclosed late Monday in a 116-page document, remove much of the judicial oversight that previously governed police surveillance powers.
Officers will be able to conduct a search without a warrant if they deem a threat to national security is "urgent".
https://www.france24.com/en/20200707-hong-kong-police-granted-sweeping-security-surveillance-powers
#asia #hongkong #china #surveillance
Hong Kong's police have been granted vastly expanded powers to conduct warrantless raids and surveillance -- as well as issue internet takedown notices -- under Beijing's new national security law.
The announcement comes as major tech companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter said they were suspending requests from the Hong Kong government and law enforcement authorities for information on users.
The new provisions, disclosed late Monday in a 116-page document, remove much of the judicial oversight that previously governed police surveillance powers.
Officers will be able to conduct a search without a warrant if they deem a threat to national security is "urgent".
https://www.france24.com/en/20200707-hong-kong-police-granted-sweeping-security-surveillance-powers
#asia #hongkong #china #surveillance
Facebook, Google and Twitter block Hong Kong from accessing user data
Moves by social media companies follow rollout of China’s national security law
...
Online message platform Reddit, which counts China’s Tencent among its investors, said in a statement: “All legal requests from Hong Kong are bound by careful review for validity and with a special attention to human rights implications.”
In a follow-up statement, it said that it had not received any requests from Hong Kong and that its “policies on protecting user information are in no way influenced by our investors”
Snap, another company that has received investment from Tencent, declined to comment on whether it will continue to process Hong Kong government requests or not.
https://www.ft.com/content/08e9c0f4-132c-4097-a8df-59094befa57b
#asia #china #hongkong #privacy #reddit
Moves by social media companies follow rollout of China’s national security law
...
Online message platform Reddit, which counts China’s Tencent among its investors, said in a statement: “All legal requests from Hong Kong are bound by careful review for validity and with a special attention to human rights implications.”
In a follow-up statement, it said that it had not received any requests from Hong Kong and that its “policies on protecting user information are in no way influenced by our investors”
Snap, another company that has received investment from Tencent, declined to comment on whether it will continue to process Hong Kong government requests or not.
https://www.ft.com/content/08e9c0f4-132c-4097-a8df-59094befa57b
#asia #china #hongkong #privacy #reddit
China’s Great Firewall has finally come to Hong Kong’s internet
https://qz.com/1877636/chinas-great-firewall-arrives-in-hong-kongs-internet
#hk #hongkong #china #tgf #censorship #gov #why
https://qz.com/1877636/chinas-great-firewall-arrives-in-hong-kongs-internet
#hk #hongkong #china #tgf #censorship #gov #why
Quartz
China’s Great Firewall has finally come to Hong Kong’s internet
But US tech giants are pushing back against the newly enacted national security law, which now gives police powers to ask internet companies to remove content.
VPN Providers Disable Servers in Hong Kong to Protect Users from China's Security Law
Private Internet Access and TunnelBear fear their VPN servers could be confiscated in the event Chinese authorities use the new law to seize them.
Citing users’ safety, two VPN providers are shutting down their servers in Hong Kong in response to China’s new security law for the city.
Both Private Internet Access and TunnelBear have decided to pull the plug on the Hong Kong-based VPN servers over fears local authorities will try to confiscate them. “China’s new national security law allows law enforcement to seize servers located in Hong Kong without a warrant and otherwise execute warrantless interception of communications,” Private Internet Access wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/vpn-providers-disable-servers-in-hong-kong-to-protect-users-from-chinas
#asia #hongkong #china #vpn
Private Internet Access and TunnelBear fear their VPN servers could be confiscated in the event Chinese authorities use the new law to seize them.
Citing users’ safety, two VPN providers are shutting down their servers in Hong Kong in response to China’s new security law for the city.
Both Private Internet Access and TunnelBear have decided to pull the plug on the Hong Kong-based VPN servers over fears local authorities will try to confiscate them. “China’s new national security law allows law enforcement to seize servers located in Hong Kong without a warrant and otherwise execute warrantless interception of communications,” Private Internet Access wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/vpn-providers-disable-servers-in-hong-kong-to-protect-users-from-chinas
#asia #hongkong #china #vpn
Chinese state hackers target Hong Kong Catholic Church
EXCLUSIVE: Spear-phishing operation targets members of the Hong Kong Catholic Church.
China's government hackers have targeted members of the Hong Kong Catholic Church in a series of spear-phishing operations traced back to May this year.
The attacks have come to light after reports [1, 2, 3] that some of Hong Kong's church leaders and clergy have been directly involved in supporting pro-democracy protests despite orders from the Vatican to remain neutral.
The spear-phishing campaign fits recent reports that Chinese government hacking groups focusing cyber-espionage efforts on the Hong Kong region after pro-democracy protests begun last year [1, 2].
https://www.zdnet.com/article/chinese-state-hackers-target-hong-kong-catholic-church/
#asia #china #hongkong #hackers #surveillance #freespeech
EXCLUSIVE: Spear-phishing operation targets members of the Hong Kong Catholic Church.
China's government hackers have targeted members of the Hong Kong Catholic Church in a series of spear-phishing operations traced back to May this year.
The attacks have come to light after reports [1, 2, 3] that some of Hong Kong's church leaders and clergy have been directly involved in supporting pro-democracy protests despite orders from the Vatican to remain neutral.
The spear-phishing campaign fits recent reports that Chinese government hacking groups focusing cyber-espionage efforts on the Hong Kong region after pro-democracy protests begun last year [1, 2].
https://www.zdnet.com/article/chinese-state-hackers-target-hong-kong-catholic-church/
#asia #china #hongkong #hackers #surveillance #freespeech
Tech Firms Begin to Abandon Hong Kong Over Security Law
China’s sweeping national security law has forced technology firms to reconsider their presence in Hong Kong. The nimblest among them -- the city’s startups -- are already moving data and people out or are devising plans to do so.
Beijing’s polarizing law, which took effect this month, upended Hong Kong’s tech scene just as it seemed on a path to becoming a regional hub. Entrepreneurs now face a wave of concern from overseas clients and suppliers about the implications of running data and internet services under the law’s new regime of vastly expanded online policing powers. Many are making contingency plans and restructuring their operations away from Hong Kong.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-20/tech-firms-begin-to-abandon-hong-kong-because-of-security-law
#asia #hongkong #surveillance
China’s sweeping national security law has forced technology firms to reconsider their presence in Hong Kong. The nimblest among them -- the city’s startups -- are already moving data and people out or are devising plans to do so.
Beijing’s polarizing law, which took effect this month, upended Hong Kong’s tech scene just as it seemed on a path to becoming a regional hub. Entrepreneurs now face a wave of concern from overseas clients and suppliers about the implications of running data and internet services under the law’s new regime of vastly expanded online policing powers. Many are making contingency plans and restructuring their operations away from Hong Kong.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-20/tech-firms-begin-to-abandon-hong-kong-because-of-security-law
#asia #hongkong #surveillance
China launching campaign to curb news sites' social media accounts
HONG KONG • China's top Internet watchdog will launch a new campaign to crack down on the social media accounts of independent news providers, it said yesterday.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will target commercial websites and social media accounts that illegally write and edit news items, and repost news articles from non-compliant sources, the CAC said in a statement on its website. It would also deal with clickbait stories, misinformation, and other sensationalised online content, it added.
The CAC said it would regulate online forums and live-streamed lectures, and push media sites to propagate more "positive energy".
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-launching-campaign-to-curb-news-sites-social-media-accounts
#asia #hongkong #china #surveillance
HONG KONG • China's top Internet watchdog will launch a new campaign to crack down on the social media accounts of independent news providers, it said yesterday.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will target commercial websites and social media accounts that illegally write and edit news items, and repost news articles from non-compliant sources, the CAC said in a statement on its website. It would also deal with clickbait stories, misinformation, and other sensationalised online content, it added.
The CAC said it would regulate online forums and live-streamed lectures, and push media sites to propagate more "positive energy".
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-launching-campaign-to-curb-news-sites-social-media-accounts
#asia #hongkong #china #surveillance
The Straits Times
China launching campaign to curb news sites' social media accounts,
East Asia News -HONG KONG • China's top Internet watchdog will launch a new campaign to crack down on the social media accounts of independent news providers, it said yesterday.. Read more at
This Hong Kong WhatsApp chatbot allows you to check if anyone in your building has COVID-19
Want to know if there are confirmed COVID-19 cases where you live? There’s a WhatsApp chatbot for that.
Hong Kong-based tech start-up Clare AI has built a chatbot that allows users to check for virus cases in their building and the surrounding vicinity. To begin a conversation with the bot, simply scan the QR code on their website and type in “Hi Clare.”
Then, all you have to do is share your location with the chatbot, and it will return details of nearby COVID-19 cases—including their building name, case numbers, case type (local, close contact of local case or imported) and the date of their symptoms onset if the patient is symptomatic.
https://coconuts.co/hongkong/news/this-hong-kong-whatsapp-chatbot-allows-you-to-check-if-anyone-in-your-building-has-covid-19/
#asia #hongkong #whatsapp #privacy
Want to know if there are confirmed COVID-19 cases where you live? There’s a WhatsApp chatbot for that.
Hong Kong-based tech start-up Clare AI has built a chatbot that allows users to check for virus cases in their building and the surrounding vicinity. To begin a conversation with the bot, simply scan the QR code on their website and type in “Hi Clare.”
Then, all you have to do is share your location with the chatbot, and it will return details of nearby COVID-19 cases—including their building name, case numbers, case type (local, close contact of local case or imported) and the date of their symptoms onset if the patient is symptomatic.
https://coconuts.co/hongkong/news/this-hong-kong-whatsapp-chatbot-allows-you-to-check-if-anyone-in-your-building-has-covid-19/
#asia #hongkong #whatsapp #privacy
Naver transfers Hong Kong backup data to Singapore
The South Korean search giant denied allegations that its sensitive user data stored abroad was at risk.
South Korea's Naver said on its official blog page that it has moved user backup data that was stored in Hong Kong to Singapore.
The data in Hong Kong was destroyed between July 6 to 10 and the server that was used to store it has been rebooted, the company said.
The company's move comes shortly after China introduced stringent, new national security laws that are aimed at tightening Beijing's control over the territory.
The decision to transfer backup data to Singapore was also in response to allegations made by local media that Naver's sensitive user data stored in Hong Kong was at risk of being leaked and that the Chinese government could access the data at any time.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/naver-transfers-hong-kong-backup-data-to-singapore/
#asia #hongkong #singapore #southkorea #naver
The South Korean search giant denied allegations that its sensitive user data stored abroad was at risk.
South Korea's Naver said on its official blog page that it has moved user backup data that was stored in Hong Kong to Singapore.
The data in Hong Kong was destroyed between July 6 to 10 and the server that was used to store it has been rebooted, the company said.
The company's move comes shortly after China introduced stringent, new national security laws that are aimed at tightening Beijing's control over the territory.
The decision to transfer backup data to Singapore was also in response to allegations made by local media that Naver's sensitive user data stored in Hong Kong was at risk of being leaked and that the Chinese government could access the data at any time.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/naver-transfers-hong-kong-backup-data-to-singapore/
#asia #hongkong #singapore #southkorea #naver
4 arrested under new Hong Kong security law for online posts
Hong Kong police have made four new arrests that signal their intent to enforce a new Chinese national security law strictly
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong police have signaled their intent to enforce a new Chinese national security law strictly, arresting four youths Wednesday on suspicion of inciting secession through social media posts.
Three males and one female, aged 16 to 21, were detained, a police official said at an 11 p.m. news conference. All are believed to be students.
“Our investigation showed that a group has recently announced on social media that they have set up an organization for Hong Kong independence," said Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of a newly formed unit to enforce the security law.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/arrested-hong-kong-security-law-online-posts-72069607
#asia #hongkong #freespeech #surveillance
Hong Kong police have made four new arrests that signal their intent to enforce a new Chinese national security law strictly
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong police have signaled their intent to enforce a new Chinese national security law strictly, arresting four youths Wednesday on suspicion of inciting secession through social media posts.
Three males and one female, aged 16 to 21, were detained, a police official said at an 11 p.m. news conference. All are believed to be students.
“Our investigation showed that a group has recently announced on social media that they have set up an organization for Hong Kong independence," said Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of a newly formed unit to enforce the security law.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/arrested-hong-kong-security-law-online-posts-72069607
#asia #hongkong #freespeech #surveillance
ABC News
4 arrested under new Hong Kong security law for online posts
Hong Kong police have made four new arrests that signal their intent to enforce a new Chinese national security law strictly
Google stops responding directly to data requests from Hong Kong government
Facebook, Google and Twitter suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong in July
Alphabet Inc.'s Google said on Friday it would no longer provide data in response to requests from Hong Kong authorities following the enactment of a new national security law imposed by China.
The U.S. tech giant had not produced any data since the sweeping new law took force in June and would not directly respond to such requests henceforth, it added.
"As always, authorities outside the U.S. may seek data needed for criminal investigations through diplomatic procedures," Google said in an emailed statement.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/hong-kong-national-security-law-google-data-requests-1.5686137
#Google #HK #HongKong
Facebook, Google and Twitter suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong in July
Alphabet Inc.'s Google said on Friday it would no longer provide data in response to requests from Hong Kong authorities following the enactment of a new national security law imposed by China.
The U.S. tech giant had not produced any data since the sweeping new law took force in June and would not directly respond to such requests henceforth, it added.
"As always, authorities outside the U.S. may seek data needed for criminal investigations through diplomatic procedures," Google said in an emailed statement.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/hong-kong-national-security-law-google-data-requests-1.5686137
#Google #HK #HongKong
CBC
Google stops responding directly to data requests from Hong Kong government | CBC News
Alphabet Inc.'s Google has said it will no longer provide data in response to requests from Hong Kong authorities following the enactment of a new national security law imposed by China.
Israeli phone hacking company faces court fight over sales to Hong Kong
"The workers inside the company didn't join to help the Chinese dictatorship," says one human rights lawyer.
Human rights advocates filed a new court petition against the Israeli phone hacking company Cellebrite, urging Israel’s ministry of defense to halt the firm’s exports to Hong Kong, where security forces have been using the technology in crackdowns against dissidents as China takes greater control.
In July, police court filings revealed that Cellebrite’s phone hacking technology has been used to break into 4,000 phones of Hong Kong citizens, including prominent pro-democracy politician and activist Joshua Wong. He subsequently launched an online petition to end Cellebrite’s sales to Hong Kong, which gained 35,000 signatures.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/25/1007617/israeli-phone-hacking-company-faces-court-fight-over-sales-to-hong-kong/
#Asia #HongKong #Cellebrite
"The workers inside the company didn't join to help the Chinese dictatorship," says one human rights lawyer.
Human rights advocates filed a new court petition against the Israeli phone hacking company Cellebrite, urging Israel’s ministry of defense to halt the firm’s exports to Hong Kong, where security forces have been using the technology in crackdowns against dissidents as China takes greater control.
In July, police court filings revealed that Cellebrite’s phone hacking technology has been used to break into 4,000 phones of Hong Kong citizens, including prominent pro-democracy politician and activist Joshua Wong. He subsequently launched an online petition to end Cellebrite’s sales to Hong Kong, which gained 35,000 signatures.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/25/1007617/israeli-phone-hacking-company-faces-court-fight-over-sales-to-hong-kong/
#Asia #HongKong #Cellebrite
Google-Facebook ditch plans to dock giant data cable in Hong Kong
Plans for an underwater data cable between Los Angeles and Hong Kong have been dropped after the US government expressed fears that China could steal data from it.
Facebook, Google and Amazon are among the US tech firms involved in the Pacific Light Cable Network project.
New plans submitted to the US communication authority mention links with the Philippines and Taiwan only.
The 12,800 km (8,000 miles) long cable has already been laid.
However it needs permission from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in order to operate.
The project was first announced in 2016.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53972238
#Asia #Hongkong #Google #Facebook #data #cable
Plans for an underwater data cable between Los Angeles and Hong Kong have been dropped after the US government expressed fears that China could steal data from it.
Facebook, Google and Amazon are among the US tech firms involved in the Pacific Light Cable Network project.
New plans submitted to the US communication authority mention links with the Philippines and Taiwan only.
The 12,800 km (8,000 miles) long cable has already been laid.
However it needs permission from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in order to operate.
The project was first announced in 2016.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53972238
#Asia #Hongkong #Google #Facebook #data #cable
BBC News
Google-Facebook ditch plans to dock giant data cable in Hong Kong
The US government had expressed concerns that China might steal data carried by the cable.
JUST IN - All patients under COVID quarantine will have to wear electronic bracelets in order to prevent them from leaving home, Honk Kong's new health minister announces.
https://twitter.com/XinqiSu/status/1546420912492146689
@disclosetv #hongkong
https://twitter.com/XinqiSu/status/1546420912492146689
@disclosetv #hongkong