He previously urged the police to take a leading role in online security and work closely with Internet regulators at a conference in Beijing yesterday. Officers will also reportedly be involved in protecting internet companies against attacks, and users from identity theft and scams.
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China is planning to set up “network security offices” in major Internet companies and for websites so authorities can move more quickly against illegal online behaviour, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. The move is said to be part of the government’s attempt to crack down on illegal online behavior. In a statement, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said the draft law “will further stifle peaceful speech online, which is one of the only means people in China have to publicly express their opinions”.
With the growth in cloud and internet services China has wanted to gain more control over web usage, issuing warnings to popular social media sites owned by giants Tencent and Sina for the inadequate regulation of pornography and politically sensitive content.
Last month, the Chinese government published a draft cybersecurity law, which strengthened its control over data by allowing authorities to obtain records on the users’ private information that the government deemed illegal, according to Reuters.
In a statement, the ministry said that as the country enters the age of the internet, network security and social stability are important to the economic development and day to day order within the country. This is going to be another addition to the relationships with other countries such as the European Union and the United States, who believe these laws are unfair to them.
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Last month, the largely rubber stamp parliament passed a sweeping national security law that tightened government control in politics, culture, the military, the economy, technology and the environment.
