Tag Archive for: kong

Hong Kong tightens leash on mobile phone use, registration | Hong Kong Protests News

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Authorities say new restrictions meant to curb criminality but activists and rights group say it is another form of silencing dissent.

The Hong Kong government has kicked off public consultation on the near-certain policy change, which would require residents of the city to register their mobile phone SIM cards using their real identity, raising more concerns over privacy and fears of wider state surveillance.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau unveiled on Friday the proposal, which includes requiring individuals to provide their real names, date of birth as well as ID number for verification.

The new measure comes on the heels of China’s decision to impose the new national security law on the semi-autonomous city last year.

There are an estimated 21 million SIM card users in Hong Kong. Currently, more than half of them are using pay-to-go cards that do not require personal information – thereby protecting their privacy.

But that has become a source of irritation for Hong Kong’s security forces, as massive pro-democracy protests erupted in the city between 2018 and 2019. Many of the protests were organised using smartphone communication and through social media.

Under the new proposal, businesses are also required to provide company information to register, while individual users are allowed to have only three pay-to-go cards from one telecom provider.

Minors below the age of 16 are not allowed to register unless approval from an adult is presented.

Stiff penalty

Individuals who are caught providing false information could face lengthy prison time of up to 14 years, according to the proposal.

Meanwhile, phone companies are required to archive data of users and keep user information for at least 12 months after registration is cancelled.

The companies are also obliged to cut off service to those who failed to submit information after a certain period, and to submit to authorities information for the purpose of law…

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Hong Kong Website Doxxing Police Gets Blocked, Raising Censorship Fears

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At one internet provider, China Mobile Hong Kong, the disconnection — of a type known as a drop action — indicates direct involvement by the telecom company. “A drop action is a specifically configured element of a D.N.S. firewall environment” Mr. April said. “This is not something the owner could have configured, intentionally or accidentally.”

China Mobile Hong Kong, an arm of China Mobile, the Chinese state-run company, declined to comment. Two others tested by the Times, SmarTone and Hutchison Telecommunications, which are controlled by local conglomerates, did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

Users of PCCW, another locally owned carrier, told The Times their access to the site was blocked, too. A spokesman declined to comment.

While the site blockage resembles mainland Chinese censorship at a quick glance, the methods differ sharply from China’s sophisticated system.

With China Mobile, SmarTone and Hutchison, the process that links a website address to the series of numbers that a computer uses to look it up was disrupted. The practice would be akin to listing an incorrect number under someone’s name in a phone book. If you know that person’s correct number, you could still call them.

In mainland China, by contrast, the hardware of the Great Firewall — as Beijing’s system of filters and blocks is known — actively severs connections. In the phone book comparison, the call would not go through even if you have the right phone number.

The Hong Kong blockages are “really easy to circumvent and clumsy,” said Mr. Tsui, the professor. Still, he said, the authorities may not want to control the internet as tightly as Beijing for fear of scaring off the global banks and international companies that have made the city their Asian headquarters.

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Explained: What China security law means for Hong Kong and the global Internet – The Indian Express

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Explained: What China security law means for Hong Kong and the global Internet  The Indian Express
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Hong Kong Security Law Sets Stage for Global Internet Fight – The New York Times

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  1. Hong Kong Security Law Sets Stage for Global Internet Fight  The New York Times
  2. Google, Facebook And Twitter React To Hong Kong Security Law By Suspending Cooperation With Police, While TikTok Withdraws  Forbes
  3. China’s crackdown in Hong Kong raises fears the great internet firewall could expand  NBC News
  4. Hong Kong grappling with future under national security law  kslnewsradio.com
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