AirDrop and Bluetooth file sharing to be clamped down in China for national security grounds
On the basis of national security, China’s cyberspace regulator intends to issue new regulations that restrict the use of wireless file sharing features like Bluetooth and Apple’s AirDrop.
This action follows the use of AirDrop by Chinese protesters to share content during anti-government demonstrations in October 2022, circumventing the country’s strict internet censorship laws.
Weeks later, Apple took action to restrict the use of the AirDrop feature on devices in China.
The draft proposal was released by China’s Cyberspace Administration, a formidable internet watchdog that answers to a committee led by leader Xi Jinping, earlier this week.
By regulating the use of close-range wireless communication tools like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other technologies, the regulation aims to “maintain national security and social public interests,” it said.
People must not post or share “illegal or harmful” content on these networks, and they must notify the regulator of any violations.
People who develop or sponsor such networks ought to demand that users give their real names and other personal information.
According to the draft, service providers should perform security audits before rolling out any new applications or features that permit “public expression” or the mobilization of the public.
The regulator is waiting until July 6 to hear from the general public regarding the proposed rules.
In addition to AirDrop, Google’s Nearby Share enables wireless Bluetooth and Wi-Fi data transfers between Android and Chrome OS devices. Similar services are also offered by Chinese phone manufacturers Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo.
Last year, the New York Times and Vice World News among other international media outlets reported that some Chinese citizens had been using AirDrop to disseminate flyers and images that echoed the slogans of a rare protest against Xi on October 13.
Two banners protesting against Xi’s zero-Covid policy and authoritarian rule were hung on an overpass of a major thoroughfare in the northwest of Beijing that day, just before Xi won a record-breaking third term.
In 2019, AirDrop, which works only over short distances, was especially popular by anti-government protesters in Hong Kong who frequently used the feature to drop vibrant posters and artwork to subway riders encouraging them to participate in protests.
Source-CNN
