#MadeInChina #COVID19Vaccine #FakeVaccine
Made-in-China Fake COVID19 Vaccine Sold Via Chinese WeChat

Source: Liberty Times, Taiwan #Aug13 https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3259576

#CoronaVac #WeChat

Read more
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24350

#MadeInChina #COVID19Vaccine #FakeVaccine
Made-in-China Fake COVID19 Vaccine Sold Via Chinese WeChat

Currently, no COVID-19 vaccine has been proven and manufactured for use in the world. Howevet, a fake vaccine can already be found on the internet in China. This fake vaccine claims to be produced from a "well-known" pharmaceutical company. Each dose of vaccine is marked at 498 RMB (~ 72 USD).

According to Chinese media reports, netizens have put “fake vaccines” on WeChat for sale. A WeChat message reads, “Please contact me if you need a COVID-19 vaccine. We do export as well. But, you will be on a waitlist first due to limited supply.” Also, it claims that the first batch of vaccines will be officially on sale on 2 September 2020.

Another message reads, “A China-made vaccine is already available. One dose is 498 RMB. Each treatment needs three doses in total. Healthcare workers and those who need to go abroad have priority. The vaccine will be widely available by the end of this year.”

The name of the vaccine “CoronaVac an inactivated vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 (Vero cell)“ is printed on the package and the product’s barcode could be traced to Sinovac Biotech and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd.

Source: Liberty Times, Taiwan #Aug13

https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3259576

#CoronaVac #WeChat

Washington Sanctions HK and Chinese Officials

The United States has imposed sanctions on Hong Kong officials, including the city's pro-China leader Carrie Lam, for being directly responsible for implementing the national security law, working with the Chinese Communist Party in undermining the autonomy and cracking down on the freedoms in Hong Kong.

The US Treasury Department said the sanctions on Lam and 10 other officials were authorised by an executive order signed recently by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

One of the results of this action is that blocks all property and/or other assets that the individuals have within US jurisdiction.

In the midst of this, the US is also seeking to ban several Chinese social media services due to security reasons. There is also a tariff war going on between US and China over Beijing's technological ambitions.

Source: ABC News Australia #Aug08

#USA #China #SanctionList #TikTok #WeChat #ByteDance #Huawei #TariffWar

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-08/us-sanctions-pro-china-leader-of-hong-kong,-other-officials/12537472

#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

WeChat Becomes a Powerful Surveillance Tool Everywhere in China

WeChat has become one of the most powerful tools in Beijing’s arsenal for monitoring the public, censoring speech and punishing people who voice discontent with the government. Its dominance in Chinese society has become more entrenched in 2020 due to remote working and learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tencent and Alibaba developed health-rating systems for government as one of the main contact-tracing tools to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The health codes embedded within WeChat and Alipay have become essential passes in China for entering residences, office buildings and accessing public transportation.

WeChat uses client-to-server encryption, which grants Tencent full access to data between senders and recipients, as opposed to end-to-end encryption, said Fergus Ryan, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank created by the Australian government.

China’s internet firewall has long blocked foreign sites and messaging apps, including Google, WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook, but these can be accessed via virtual private networks (VPN).

“Some of my friends and clients switch to Signal or FaceTime for sensitive conversations. Still, for the majority of people, they don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to get over the firewall for daily communications,” said Zhang Qingfang, a Beijing-based human-rights lawyer.

Source: WSJ #Dec22

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wechat-becomes-a-powerful-surveillance-tool-everywhere-in-china-11608633003

#HealthCode #WeChat #Tencent #Alibaba #Censorship

Chinese Political Censorship Reaches the U.S., North America WeChat users could be blocked at any time.

The U.S. government originally planned to block WeChat overseas version last September, but the court suspended the ban and the appeal will be heard next Thursday (January 14). President-elect Joe Biden's transition team did not comment on the ban. Some WeChat users in North America said their content was subject to political censorship. Some comments and news reposts that would cause discontent in China were blocked. Some Chinese dissidents in exile in the U.S. said they support Trump's blocking order, despite the inconvenience the WeChat ban has caused Chinese immigrants.

The Chinese messaging app WeChat has a strict censorship system. A large number of posts in support of Hong Kong's anti-extradition law have been deleted from its platform over the past two years. The Washington Post reported that WeChat's censorship of user postings has reached into the United States. Some accounts registered in the U.S. have had their posts on the platform blocked by WeChat, preventing their friends from viewing the content.

Source: Apple Daily #Jan09

https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20210109/PHUV2W4CVJH3XMAQPO2QMGTEBY/

#China #US #WeChat #censorship #PoliticalCensorship #CensorshipinUS #WashingtonPost

WeChat deletes Chinese university LGBT accounts in fresh crackdown
 
Chinese tech giant Tencent's WeChat social media platform has deleted dozens of LGBT accounts run by university students, saying some had broken rules on information on the internet, sparking fear of a crackdown on gay content online.

Members of several LGBT groups told Reuters that access to their accounts was blocked late on Tuesday and they later discovered that all of their content had been deleted.

"Many of us suffered at the same time," said the account manager of one group who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
 
Source: Reuters #Jul07

http://reut.rs/3yrGOQr

#WeChat #LGBT #Crackdown

#Harrassement
China-funded Media Caught Photographing #InMedia Journalist's Computer in Court: "Not Aware It's Prohibited"

The ruling of the first case under Hong Kong's #NationalSecurityLaw was handed down on the 27th of July, 2021 at the High Court. Over 80 journalists were in attendance to hear the verdict.

Afterwards, an In-Media HK reporter was told by another attendee that a woman in a blue shirt sitting in the row behind them was photographing their computer screen during the hearing. The woman also opened her #WeChat application at one point, and it was unclear whether she had sent out the photo.

The In-Media reporter immediately confronted the woman and informed the security guard about her actions. The woman was asked to show her cell phone photos, and it appeared that she had taken two photos in court, one of which had captured the In-Media reporter’s conversation with a colleague.

The woman claimed that it was her first time in court, and was not aware that photography was prohibited. She insisted that she had not sent out the photos through WeChat, and had deleted the photos on the spot.

Security later told the In-Media reporter that the woman in question is a "reporter" from Dot Dot News, and she claimed that she took the photo to confirm whether the In-Media reporter was her colleague from #WenWeiPo, a China-funded media, who was also in attendance.

According to available information, Dot Dot News is a subsidiary of China-funded Wen Wei Po, and was granted interviewing privileges by the government in July 2019 as an online news media. However, there had been allegations that they had spread false rumors and fake news; Facebook had shut down Dot Dot News' page after investigations.

As for photography in court, the judiciary stated in a media response that photography by anyone, journalists included, is prohibited by law inside the court and attached facilities. There are also multiple signs in the court building stating so.

Source: In-Media HK #Jul27
https://bit.ly/3l2V9PM

#Doxxing #Court #CCP

Shanghai University has claimed the college to report LGBT student list, including their political perspectives and psychological condition 
 
Recently the sex niche in mainland universities and colleges has been repeatedly suppressed. After the LGBT student WeChat groups in multiple universities have been deactivated, the Shanghai University has announced to claim all colleges report LGBT student list with their information like political perspectives for “school investigation”. Some LGBT groups concerned, sex niche students will be continually supressed, the law scholars questioned the relevant investigation may illegal.  
 
In the recent days there was an online internal document from Shanghai University, which showed the school is using reason of “school investigation” to claim, “colleges have to reflect all information of LGBT student”.  
 
That form claims to report the gender and education background of LGBT student, but also claim to report their state of mind and psychological condition, including political position, study and research, daily life, interpersonal relationship, life plan, health condition, bad condition, mental disorder, and illnesses.  
 
Source: Stand News #Aug29
 
https://bit.ly/3jSHgTf
 
#Shanghai #University #LGBT #Politics #Psychology #Suppression #WeChat #Investigation #HumanRights #Liberty  

#CCPRules #Infiltration
Concern over ‘#censorship’ rules of New Zealand-Chinese news site Skykiwi.com

//An influential Chinese-language media outlet in #NewZealand warned its users their information could be shared with 'relevant state agencies' if they violated #ChineseLaws.

Skykiwi.com promotes itself as New Zealand’s “most influential” Chinese-language media outlet, with half a million ‘daily average user visits’ to its multi-platform website. Besides providing news coverage, the site also runs message boards where a variety of topics, including current affairs, are discussed. It claims to have 81,000 daily forum users.

...Until July, the terms of service for these forums contained clauses forbidding speech on a range of topics and said that users who violate Chinese laws in their postings could have their information shared with “relevant state agencies,” indicating China’s intelligence apparatus would be able to potentially identify them. It also meant criticism of China’s ruling Communist Party was all but banned.

...A list of forbidden conduct on the forum, as seen last month, includes “leaking state secrets”, “damaging national honour and interests”, “undermining national unity”, inciting “subversion of state power”, "undermining national policies" and promoting “cults”. Virtually identical wording was discovered on the terms of service for China’s state-backed social media platform #WeChat and a list of “prohibited content” outlined by the Chinese Ministry of Culture.//

Source: Newsroom #Sep20
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/concern-over-censorship-rules-of-nz-chinese-news-site

#CCP #PRC #UnitedFront

#CallForSupport #Solidarity
Civil Society Groups Issue Joint Statement, Concerns over Attacks on Hongkongers in UK

A statement was issued by Hong Kong-led civil society groups and its allies, following a violent attack on Hongkongers during a rally that took place in London on 27 November, 2021.

In the UK, Hongkongers and other members of East and South East Asian communities have been exposed to threats and intimidation.

There were messages circulating on #WeChat,a texting app from China, about putting a 'bounty' on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists #SimonCheng and #NathanLaw, offering £10,000 to anyone who could offer their UK addresses.

Besides, there were also messages seeking to create "vigilante groups" to attack any HongKongers' groups in support of Hong Kong independence.

The statemdnt expressed grave concern over the tactics of intimidation which not only threatens the safety and security of Hongkongers and supporters of Hongkongers’ struggles; but also infringe Hongkongers’ fundamental right to freedom of expression.

Read full statement : https://t.co/xRQlzlitpF

Source: Stand With Hong Kong; RFA #Dec3

#CCP #Infiltration #Intimidation #Bounty #PoliticalOppression

Scott Morrison's WeChat account suspected of being hacked, MPs call for boycott over election interference

Australian media reported on Monday (24th January) that Prime Minister Scott Morrison's WeChat official account was suspected of being hacked and turned into a pro-Beijing account “Aohua Xinshenghuo (Australian Chinese New Life)”. His WeChat team has been unable to log in since the beginning of the year. Its 76,000 followers were notified to quit following old accounts. Some parliamentarians believe this is China's interference in Australia's internal affairs in an election year, and call on Australian politicians to boycott WeChat.

The abnormality of Morrison's WeChat public account was first reported by The Daily Telegraph. It was pointed out that earlier this month, Morrison's official WeChat account had been renamed “Aohua Xinshenghuo” and his profile picture had been changed. The account description was now "providing life information for overseas Chinese in Australia".

Source: RFA #Jan24

https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/au-wechat-01242022053954.html

#Australia #AustralianPM #ScottMorrison #WeChat #hacking #ChinaInterference #boycott #AustralianElection #OverseasChinese

"Let's Say We're Japanese": Chinese in #Ukraine Fear Retribution after Insulting Posts from #ChineseNetizens

As Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine, numerous Chinese netizens made posts in support of Russia. Some posts even sarcastically said, "beautiful ladies of Ukraine, come to China".

These posts have drawn the ire of the Ukrainian public, according to a video by a Chinese student who said he was living in Ukraine. "They're a bit emotional about this," he said. Chinese living in Kyiv have begun telling others that they're Japanese; "We don't even dare to call ourselves Chinese anymore."

He called on China's "keyboard warriors" to show restraint, and stop offending the Ukrainians.

The student quoted posts made by Chinese netizens, such as: "Good for Ukraine to have a war; the more deaths the better. This way I could have an Ukrainian mistress." Local media have reported about these posts, complete with translations; "basically, all Ukrainians know."

In shelters, locals would ask Chinese students like himself about the posts, and whether Chinese people are really like this. As a result, many of them don't dare to take shelter in the metro stations with other Ukrainians.

"Give us a little chance to survive," he implored his audience in China. He said that when Ukrainians in Kyiv asked Chinese citizens where they are from, "We say we're Japanese. We don't even dare to call ourselves Chinese anymore, all thanks to you. Do you need a wife that badly? You've lost your humanity. So many of them are dying in the war; how dare you say "good for them" because you might get an Ukrainian wife."

With a sigh, he concluded: "If Chinese people here get beaten or shot to death, it will be thanks to you keyboard warriors."

Since Friday, Feb 25, 2022, China's social media giants #Weibo, #WeChat, and #TikTok have begun censoring accounts that made such offensive remarks. Weibo announced that they processed 542 such posts, and deducted social credit scores of 74 accounts. Tiktok said that it had processed 6,400 videos that have violated rules, and terminated 1,620 live streams.

Source: In-Media HK #Feb27
https://bit.ly/3IDPdFG

#RussiaInvasion #Ukraine #China #LittlePink #SocialMedia

Cyberspace Administration of China: Already Held 30 Large IT Companies' Algorithm Technologies

Cyber Administration of China (#CAC) indicated on #Aug12 that 30 top IT companies have submitted part of their algorithm details, such as how to collect personal data and how to set up individual recommendation content. 

Companies includes #Tencent, #TikTok under #ByteDance, #MeiTuen, #iFeng, #Weibo, #Youku, #Kuaishou, #Baidu, #Sina, #Xiaomi, #WeChat, and #Tmall and #Taobao under #Alibaba.

#Bloomberg report stated that China can have full grasp of every move done by the citizens on the internet, and even all purchase detail and personal information can be seen clearly via the relevant enterprises and applications.

The CAC passed the regulations on algorithm recommendation in March this year, requiring all enterprises to reveal the algorithm used in every application.

Nominally, they can solve the issue of data misuse and enhance cyber security. But once when the authority obtained algorithm technology, they can take further control over web activity and carry out political propaganda.

They even can take "National Security" as an excuse, to obtain citizens' and companies' information.

Source: PC Market #Aug17
https://www.pcmarket.com.hk/china-netcom-algorithm-technology-of-30-technology-giants-has-been-mastered/?fbclid=IwAR3nrfecOdr8bYlAdIkaE3S783sF8pEprBrq_7Jg46s3lLXzzi1Pv8aSX0k

#CyberAdministrationofChina #surveillance #NationalSecurity #Webtracking #AlgorithmTechnology