World News | China Considers Crackdown on AirDrop, Bluetooth File Sharing Over National Security Concerns

Beijing [China]June 12 (ANI): China’s cyberspace regulator is planning to issue new rules restricting file-sharing features like Bluetooth and Apple’s AirDrop due to national security concerns, the Singapore-based Straits Times reported.

China’s Cyberspace Administration of China has launched a month-long public consultation and released draft regulations on near-field wireless communications such as Bluetooth, WiFi and other technologies, according to news reports.

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China’s Cyberspace Administration of China said the proposed regulations were aimed at safeguarding “national security and social public interests”. Reporting in The Straits Times, Amanda Lee said people have until July 6 to submit feedback on the proposed rules.

According to The Straits Times, service providers must stop sharing harmful and illegal information etc. under such networks. Other proposed regulations include asking users to stop and “resist the production, copying and dissemination of objectionable information”. Those who do not follow the rules must report to the authorities.

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Before using these file-sharing features, people need to register with their real names. According to news reports, these features must be turned off by default. Using Bluetooth and AirDrop, people can share messages and images with other nearby phones without revealing their identity, The Straits Times reported.

Sharing information and images without revealing their identities bypasses China’s “strict censorship rules”, where most messages and social media platforms are closely monitored. Other phones, such as Google’s Android, and Chinese phone makers, including Oppo and Xiaomi, have similar features compatible with their devices.

Apple has come under the spotlight after some Chinese protesters used AirDrop in 2022 to bypass surveillance and share information critical of the government. According to The Straits Times, in October 2022, some activists used AirDrop on the Shanghai subway to share posters against Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In November 2022, Apple announced that it would restrict Chinese iPhone users from using the AirDrop function, allowing them to receive files from non-contacts for 10 minutes at a time. Earlier, AirDrop had no time limit for sharing and receiving files.

In early April, China launched a cybersecurity investigation into Micron Technology, one of the largest U.S. memory chipmakers, in apparent retaliation for U.S. allies in Asia and Europe declaring sanctions on the sale of key technology to Beijing, CNN Business reported. new restrictions.

China’s Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will review Micron’s products sold in China, according to a statement from the regulator. The statement said the decision was aimed at “guaranteeing the security of the critical information infrastructure supply chain, preventing cybersecurity risks caused by hidden products, and maintaining national security.” (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)