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
Anti-zero-COVID ‘white paper’ protesters face forced disappearance in China
An unknown number of anti-zero COVID policy protesters were forced into disappearance during Christmas and Lunar New Year break in China.
Hong Kong launches a national security legal battle against media tycoon Jimmy Lai
"Jimmy Lai, a 75-year-old media tycoon, is PRC's no.1 national enemy in Hong Kong...He may not be able to get out of prison alive."
Chinese social media platforms add hidden digital watermarks to track screenshot sharing
At least two Chinese social media platforms have added a script to their sites and applications to generate a hidden digital watermark to track the original user behind screenshot sharing.
A Chinese office platform confirms that users’ files on its cloud server are subject to censorship
Cloud platforms are required by laws to review and censor users' documents on private cloud drives in China.
China: Possible police database breach exposes at least 1 billion citizens’ personal data
"...the data breach is a fresh new case of a dictator’s dilemma: the more you concentrate, the more you lose control."
China: Weibo’s new location tag exposes the whereabouts of users, opinion leaders and tiny pinks
Despite privacy concerns, the location data has unexpectedly exposed the whereabouts of pro-government opinion leaders and patriotic trolls.
Why have attempts to debunk Russian war propaganda on Weibo failed?
China relies on Russian propaganda as the main source of information on the Ukraine crisis. Censorship instruction forbids Sino-Russian antagonism and anti-war declaration. Love triangle analogy has gone viral.
Internet watchdog finds encryption flaw in mandatory Chinese Olympic app
Athletes, journalists and all other attendees of the Beijing Winter Olympics are required to use the My2022 app but data submitted through the app may be intercepted.
International media watchdog digs into the ‘great leap backwards’ of journalism in China
Reporters Without Borders' report presents an extensive account of how China has repressed freedom of expression and the right to information in recent years.
Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Awards highlights Hong Kong's censored productions
Beijing's boycott of the Golden Horse Film Awards has generated a space for Hong Kong's independent, less-commercial productions in the international film market.
An interview with media scholar Rose Luqiu about WeChat and techno-nationalism
"A major factor is censorship or 'coerced loyalty.' As other communication tools like Facebook and Twitter are unavailable in China. WeChat has a very special [monopoly] status in China."
“Hong Kong, add oil” is censored as Pro-Beijingers associate the expression with sedition
"This paranoia says nothing but weakness. Changing shirts and covering up tattoos are easy things to do. Changing hears and minds? Forget about it."
Taiwan: Deepfake pornographic video victims call for new laws against sexual violence in cyberspace
Taiwan's recent arrest of popular YouTuber Xiao Yu, Zhu Yuchen, for allegedly selling deepfake pornographic videos of public figures has drawn public attention to artificial intelligence (AI) crimes.
Is the shutting down of Chinese LinkedIn the end of foreign big tech’s engagement with China?
What are the reasons behind Microsoft's decision to leave China? Product failure? China' newly enacted data security law? or the proposing algorium law?
Chinese citizen journalist held incommunicado after COVID reporting reappears
Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi has returned. But other citizen journalists covering the COVID-19 outbreak in China are still missing. Among them Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Behind Chinese Wikipedia user ban: threats, verbal attacks and election canvassing
The Foundation explained that the radical steps were taken as "some users have been physically harmed" as a result of the 'exposure of personal information to users in mainland China.'
Chinese netizens identify the Weibo supervisor system as a source of arbitrary censorship
Each Weibo supervisor filed an average of 4,472 censorship reports in July 2021. The top performer would have to file 700 complaints per day and 70 reports per hour.
Hong Kong will pass a tough anti-doxxing law that may curb freedom of information
The internet sector has expressed concerns about the vague definition of doxxing, the extension of criminal liability to tech companies and their employees and the extraterritorial implications of the amendment.
Security police interventions force closure of Apple Daily, Hong Kong's 26-year-old pro-democracy news outlet
In its inaugural editorial, Apple Daily had stated: "Are we not afraid of the changes 1997 could bring about? We are, but we are not willing to be daunted by fear."
Hong Kong to toughen up privacy law against doxxing
If the law passes, will the Privacy Commissioner implement the law fairly, taking against doxxing regardless of the victims' (real or perceived) political affiliations?
