Latest posts by Oiwan Lam
Chinese mobile phone cameras are not-so-secretly recording users’ activities
This design feature has given Chinese mobile users a tangible sense of exactly when and how they are being monitored.
Freedom segregated: China to set up open internet zone on tourist island
"If visiting Twitter, Facebook is appropriate and harmless, why [are they] only granting foreigners access but not Chinese?"
‘Peppa Pig’ has gotten too naughty for China's censors
A subculture connecting the cartoon character “Peppa Pig” with “Shehuiren”, a term that refers to organized crime syndicates, has resulted in a muddy puddle for the popular porker.
Why did China take its own propaganda film offline? Netizens point to US tech sanctions
Netizens suspect that the film is being restricted due to new US sanctions against ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications hardware company.
Chinese netizens’ #IamLGBT campaign pushes change at Weibo
The move is significant, but it doesn’t mean that LGBT content will be spared from the latest censorship crackdown.
No Laughing Matter: China Shuts Down Popular Joke-Sharing App
"A country, a government, a supervision department. They are all scared of a joke-sharing application."
With ‘Sharp Eyes’, Smart Phones and TV Sets Are Watching Chinese Citizens
By 2020, China could have a comprehensive nationwide surveillance network, wherein law enforcement will have easy access to data collected by any individual surveillance camera in the network.
How a Viral Eye Roll Broke the Silence on China's Heavily Censored Web
"The rolling eyes are like a bolt of lightening that destroys tens of thousands expressions of praise and outshines speeches made by hundreds of thousands of brain-dead people."
Lantern Festival Riddles Outwit and Enrage Chinese Censorship Authorities
By posting riddles, Chinese netizens have found a way to safely criticize the recent constitutional amendment proposal regarding the abolition of the two-term presidential limit.
#MeToo Has Hit China's Universities, Despite Efforts of Internet Censors
After months of censorship, a student's viral account of sexual misconduct by a renowned university professor has forced the discussion into the open.
‘If I Don't Oppose Dictatorship, Am I Still a Man?': Chinese Activist Gets Eight Years in Prison
Wu Gan, better known by his nickname “Super Vulgar Butcher”, has been active in Chinese human rights circles since 2008.
Don't Call “Xi the Bun” — Chinese Netizens Are Being Jailed for Chatroom Jokes
Three recent cases indicate that chatroom conversations in China are under surveillance and can be used as evidence in criminal prosecution.
China's Sina Weibo Hires 1,000 Supervisors to Censor ‘Harmful Content'—Including Women's Legs
"Male users are less likely to be reported, while female users’ selfies, leg photos or waist photos that show off the success of their workouts are subjected to reduced scores."
Despite Censorship, a Former Chinese Soldier Brags of His War Crimes Online
On WeChat, Zhang boasted of killing a woman and raping her teenage daughter in the Sino-Vietnamese War.
Speaking of Independence Is Getting Harder for Hong Kongers
"The universities can say they don’t support Hong Kong independence, but students and teachers should have the freedom of speech to discuss Hong Kong independence."
Taiwanese Activist Was Forced to Confess on Camera to ‘Smearing the Chinese Government,’ Allies Say
"...if you see Lee Mingche confess against his will in court....please forgive him. This is just another drama staged by the Chinese government."
China Makes Chat Group Administrators — i.e. Regular Users — Criminally Liable for Unlawful Messages
Chat group administrators are becoming a key human resource in China's internet control infrastructure.
In Quest for ‘Ideological Security’, China Pushes to Extend Communist Party Influence Inside Tech Firms
Until recently, companies had no obligation to participate in Communist Party activities. But now informal political pressure to do so is getting stronger and stronger.
The Evolution of China's Great Firewall: 21 Years of Censorship
Technically speaking, circumvention technologies have outwitted the Great Firewall. Yet the new legal regime has changed the rules of the game.
Chinese Tech Firms Are at the Cutting Edge of Artificial Intelligence — But at What Cost?
China has a more open attitude toward new technology, but is their success built upon a lack of awareness of individual rights?