Western countries are struggling to pass surveillance laws that would allow authorities to monitor communications after the fresh spate of terrorist attacks in France and the U.S.. But an anti-terrorism bill that includes a sweeping surveillance power for law enforcement was passed easily in China.
The new Chinese law requires technology companies to help decrypt information on encrypted systems should the government require it. The previous draft of the law, which immediately drew criticism, called for the installation of "back doors" in encrypted systems, as HNGN previously reported. This is no longer the case. The law also scrapped a previously proposed prohibition for tech companies operating in the country to host their data overseas.
However, the new law is still strong in comparison to its Western counterparts. It allows the Chinese government - through an anti-terrorism superbody - to snoop not only on its citizens but also on targets overseas. It is understandable, therefore, how Western countries are raising a mighty ruckus with the law's passage. For instance, the U.S. is alarmed it could be used as a tool for trade espionage. Chinese tech companies such as Huawei and ZTE have been previously accused of spying for China and tampering with U.S. telecommunications networks, Bloomberg reported.
Chinese authorities countered that the law simply does what many Western countries are asking technology firms to do in their fight against terrorism.
"This rule accords with the actual work need of fighting terrorism and is basically the same as what other major countries in the world do," Li Shouwei, deputy head of the Chinese parliament's criminal law division, said in a Reuters report.
Together with the mandate to secure and control network infrastructure and information systems, the law also empowers the People's Liberation Army to conduct anti-terrorism operations overseas.
