Could someone expand a bit on 'adding backdoors'? Article only mentions it at beginning, and it kind of feels like something was lost in translation, perhaps it was 'to check for backdoors'?
It is all about reducing dependency, and backdoors in banks, does not really fit in.
> “In reality, it’s about the core elements of Chinese information technology. We don’t really control these. We’re under the yoke of others. If the others stop services, what do we do?”
I believe "adding backdoors" is exactly what they meant.
In the context of China, I think you can interpret "controllable" as more than just controllable by the companies that operate the systems, but the government as well. And, the backdoors are necessary for that.
The draft antiterrorism law pushes even further, calling for companies to store all data related to Chinese users on servers in China, create methods for monitoring content for terror threats and provide keys to encryption to public security authorities.
Sounds pretty backdoory to me. (Technically the article is talking about a few different laws/policies, but the underlying philosophy appears the be the same: the government wants access to everything.)
Thanks, makes sense, I was confused about banking industry.
new regulations requiring companies that sell computer equipment to Chinese banks to turn over secret source code, submit to invasive audits and build so-called back doors into hardware and software
I appreciate that people are upset at the USG and I think the comparison to China helps the argument, to be clear they're asking for a lot more than the USG.
China is way, way, beyond the NSA. They block huge swaths of the internet and blackout televisions. They monitor every chat you send on WeChat, without even the illusion of a warrant or probable cause. And, they're not asking, it's a condition of WeChat's operation. Imagine if you DM'd someone on Facebook or Twitter and the US government stepped in and shut your account down. It's that.
Comparisons are fine, but these are not the backdoors "you were already compelled to insert."
It is all about reducing dependency, and backdoors in banks, does not really fit in.
> “In reality, it’s about the core elements of Chinese information technology. We don’t really control these. We’re under the yoke of others. If the others stop services, what do we do?”