China censors chat users outside China China’s largest internet firm, Tencent, is reportedly now censoring messages sent by international users of its popular WeChat service. The Shenzhen-based web giant, which accrued $US1.8bn in revenues in the last quarter, is one of the few Chinese online companies trying to expand its footprint overseas. Although its QQ …
I think I'd rather a nice honest rebuttal from a foreign company to my beloved regime’s approach:
Menace every company I interact with into silently sequestering every utterance I ever make anywhere into an immense archive for The Ministry of Love, Paedophilia Prevention, Counter-Terrorism and Protection to mine at their leisure. Thus by the time my turn comes 'round to be deemed a terrorist/paedophile, they'll have amassed all the data they need from which to cherry-pick sufficient "grounds" for the thought police to smash my door in at 5am and whisk me away for a nice stretch of "correction".
Yes, our lot are so nasty, especially compared to China, where posting such sweeping criticism of your government's behaviour on a public forum won't get you in trouble at all.
Yet...
Maybe...
Who knows how it'll be used?.. you certainly don't.
Anyway, the article wasn't about people in China posting derogatory comments about their government. Didn't you read it?
Oh, you've a safe haven for all your data do you? Pray tell, where is it? If it is online you are at risk no matter where the company is based.
Personally I'd trust an American company long before one in Britain. At least American companies are honest about wanting your data for advertising. Her Majesty wants your data to minimize your benefits, keep users controlled & mine for evidence of 'bad' behavior.
which has more than once decided to apply their own laws abroad, and won (but of course). The latest example being that Swiss bank a few weeks ago. That was only to protect the US tax man, and the Chinese only want to protect the purity of their vision, can't blame either, right? :(
Yeah, going after tax evaders by requesting information on bank accounts - which every other nation happily provides - is identical to censoring political speech between two foreign parties. Oh, the poor, beleaguered Swiss, trampled by the hegemony of the Evil Empire... *back of hand to forehead in 'woe is me' gesture*
As a Canadian, I am *so-o-o-o-o-* glad that a Chinese state owned corporation was able to buy up a sizeable chunk of the Athabasca Oilsands! Boy, we sure showed them! Our Government says that in doing so, we might encourage the Communist Party to loosen the controls a bit, and allow for greater individual freedom.
Gee, that seems to be working just swell. Evidently, they do not have to do a damned thing and we will still sell out our national resources to them. I cannot wait to be pushed aside from my own homeland to make way for Chinese exploitation. Careful - they might be listening! Oooh, won't I be in trouble now!
As mentioned earlier, what is being done is no different from what other governments are doing (US/UK included). Where it is different is that it is open knowledge and they also tell you the reason why. It is much preferable to the "keep on archive to deal with later" approach which is done by the so called more civilized countries. In the end, the "terror by government" should be our greatest fear.
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