Stories about China
A Hong Kong reporter's account of the crackdown on press freedom under the national security law
"What we are facing now is not just the survival of Apple Daily but the whole independent media sector."
A Chinese city withdraws ‘civility code’ following online criticism
Suzhou – a Chinese city near Shanghai – launched a “civility code” in early September to rank citizens’ civility. As negative comments flooded in, the city called an end to the testing.
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law
Upon his arrest, Hong Kong police raided the office building of his news outlets.
COVID-19 and China's information control policy
China’s strategy to control information and its consequences has become a global concern.
Another Australian university criticized for censoring voices supporting Hong Kong's human rights
An Australian university was criticized for deleting an article published on its website that urges the international community to put pressure on China for infringements on human rights in Hong Kong.
Documentary exposes the threat of facial recognition surveillance in Serbia
Online documentary warns the public about privacy risks emanating from a newly installed video surveillance system equipped with Chinese facial recognition technology.
Is Namibia walking a fine line between Chinese and European spy technology?
Namibia denies accusations that it is building an internet war chest to effortlessly check up on its domestic critics.
Tech giants halt data requests as Hong Kong national security law casts long shadow
Local demand for circumvention tools is surging amid fears that a China-style "Great Firewall" is in the offing.
India bans TikTok, 58 other apps amid rising anti-China sentiment, border clashes
The border clashes and the stand-off between India and China reached naught after India decided to ban video-creation platform TikTok and 58 other apps due to “security issues”.
Coronavirus and surveillance technology: How far will governments go?
''While surveillance technologies and measures may give the public a sense of security in controlling the spread of the virus, we must remain mindful and vigilant of their continued use after the pandemic subsides.''
China to expel American journalists from three US news outlets, watchdog decries threat to press freedom
China announced it would expel American journalists working for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. The ban would extend to Hong Kong and Macau.
How Chinese social media platforms control information on COVID-19
At the initial stage of the outbreak of COVID-19 in China, censors curbed public alerts on the threat. Later, censorship was broadened to include criticism of leaders and policies.
Chinese censorship demonstrates it can afford the cost of ‘the death of media’
A massive number of groups and user accounts were removed by platforms following the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, which set social media on fire.
How Zimbabwe's biometric ID scheme (and China’s AI aspirations) threw a wrench into the 2018 election
Some citizens were told that if they didn't register and submit their biometrics, they might be barred from voting.
Is Russia getting its model for digital authoritarianism from China?
On the surface, China and Russia share much when it comes to digital governance. But their crackdowns on cyberspace also have important differences, says professor Maria Repnikova
How ‘fake news’ and disinformation were spread in the run-up to Taiwan's presidential elections
Puma Shen, director of DoubleThink Labs, shares his observations on the ways in which fake news and disinformation were disseminated prior to Taiwan's January 11, 2020 presidential elections.
‘Suspension won’t silence me’: Teen speaks out after embedding message about Xinjiang Uyghurs in TikTok makeup tutorial
Feroza Aziz used a makeup tutorial as a disguise to criticise China's treatment of Uyghurs on Tiktok.
Hong Kong activists denounce court ban on ‘violent’ content as a threat to internet freedom
Internet Society Hong Kong will file a judicial review against an interim injunction prohibiting anyone from posting, re-posting and aiding the dissemination of information that promotes violence.
Beijing constructs an “independence” plot for Hong Kong protests through information operations
Initial findings strongly suggest that the Chinese Communist party and state media outlets played a key role in spreading disinformation that framed the protests as a “pro-Hong Kong independence” movement.
Google removes Hong Kong protester role-playing game from its Play Store
The mobile game, entitled "The Revolution of Our Times", provides details on the political context leading up to the protests with a map on key protest sites in Hong Kong.