A media activist, researcher and educator currently based in Hong Kong. My Chinese writings are in inmediahk.net and my Twitter account is @oiwan.
Latest posts by Oiwan Lam
China’s top nationalist influencer Hu Xijin silenced for over a month, but very few miss him
Hu Xijin, the former chief editor of the Chinese-state-funded Global Times and a prominent nationalist commentator, has been quiet on social media for over one month, since he critiqued party policy.
What are the controversies over Hong Kong’s latest cybersecurity bill?
“The proposals give authorities overly broad powers that could threaten the integrity of service providers and rock confidence in the city’s digital economy.”
Taiwan struggles to combat Chinese influence in it’s generative AI tools
Taiwan released TAIDE, a Taiwan-centric generative AI bot, in April 2024, to address cultural and political bias and security risks, like industrial espionage, cyber-attacks and propaganda, associated with imported AIs.
China’s legal warfare on Taiwan separatists: The death penalty and absentia trials
Critics believe the guidelines will have a chilling effect and deter ordinary Taiwanese from expressing pro-independent views. Additionally, fewer Taiwanese tourists will travel to China and Hong Kong.
Censorship and isolation as China bans thousands of mobile apps
Research on Apple censorship finds out, as of March 2023, 11,026 out of a total of 40,049 apps were unavailable in China Apple Stores. The ratio of unavailability was 27.53 percent.
Hong Kong’s June 4 memory battle behind Chow Hang-tung and her supporters’ arrests
Chow started presenting her own testimony/memories about the June 4 commemoration beginning April 30, 2024 — the date marks a 35-day countdown for the 35th anniversary of 1989 June 4 crackdowns in China.
Activists call for the shutdown of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office after three alleged spies were arrested in London
One of the three arrested is an employee of HKETO. The suspects were allegedly involved in the spying of Hong Kong activists in the U.K.
A Hong Kong Facebook group on shop closure strives to survive allegations of inciting discontent
Several pro-establishment commentators and outlets claimed that the page had been hijacked by the “yellow clan” (pro-democracy) and a newspaper columnist warned that it might “incite” discontent against the government
Hong Kong kickstarts local national security law legislation with explaining and rebuttal teams
Chief Executive John Lee: Hostile forces would engage in propaganda work, especially online, to smear and distort the legislation.
Why did Taiwan impose a five-year visa ban on an influential mainland Chinese dissent journalist?
Wang Zhian, a Tokyo-based mainland Chinese journalist, mocked the Taiwanese election campaigns on a comedy talk show, sparking online backlash. He was then banned from entering Taiwan for five years.
Hong Kong embraces televised confessions of political prisoners
"It is the same kind of propaganda: the court’s ruling is justified and reasonable, and look, he himself confessed it. How would the National Security Judge wrong a good person?
Hong Kong: Subscribers of overseas activists’ blogs and channels face legal threat
Government adviser Ronny Tong said those who subscribe to content created by "wanted individuals" could be considered culpable under the National Security Law.
New policy requires Chinese influencers to display their personal information on Weibo
Popular mainland Chinese Weibo users must display their real identities, including names, gender, IP locations, and professional and educational background, on their account page starting at the end of October.
Confessions from a Chinese censorship worker
A Chinese censorship worker discusses her workday, colleagues, and hatred for the Chinese censorship system.
Commentators discourage extending national security crackdowns to ‘soft resistance’ in Hong Kong
The government is considering clamping down on “soft resistance” when drafting the local version of National Security Law (HK-NSL).
A forensic investigation finds a site that doxxes Hong Kong activists and journalists is likely backed by Beijing
Toronto-based Citizen Lab finds circumstantial evidence that suggests the campaign operators held links to mainland China.
Digital rights activist groups urge tech giants to defend against Hong Kong’s injunctions against protest anthem
More than 24 human rights and digital rights groups believed that the injunctions, once granted, would have a “disastrous effect” on freedom of expression and information access, with global implications.
Hong Kong Court asks: Who are the defendants of the protest anthem injunctions?
"Even if [the injunction] successfully restrained Google, it would only prohibit its circulation within Hong Kong. The SAR government has to apply an injunction in the U.S.A to take down the videos globally […]"
Hong Kong authorities clamp down on the annual commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown
Ahead of the 34th anniversary of the June 4th 1989 Tiananmen crackdowns, the Chinese term “special days” or “special occasion” replaced former political slogans like “vindication of June 4” because of censorship
Hong Kong purges public libraries of politically sensitive books
The Audit Commission released a report demanding the public library operator step up its efforts in removing books that were “manifestly contrary” to the interests of national security.
