Google, Facebook, Twitter could leave Hong Kong over controversial Chinese regime data law

The giants of technology Facebook Inc, Google Alphabet Inc Yes Twitter Inc privately warned the government to Hong Kong who could stop offering their services in the city if the authorities go ahead with the changes planned in the Chinese regime is pushed by data protection lawsreported the newspaper The Wall Street Journal.

Laws Could Hold Tech Companies Accountable for Malicious Sharing of User Information Onlineadded the newspaper, in what is read by analysts as possible interference from Beijing in the operations of international companies.

A letter sent by an industry group that includes internet companies said that companies fear that the proposed rules for doxer could put your workers at risk of criminal investigations or judgments related to what users post online.

“Tensions are mounting between some of the most powerful corporations in the United States and authorities in Hong Kong as Beijing exercises increasing control over the city and suppresses political dissent. U.S. and other tech companies said last year they were suspending processing of requests from Hong Kong law enforcement agencies following China’s imposition of a law enforcement law. national security in the city.“recalled the diary of Wall Street in its edition this Monday.

Wall Street Jopurnal city Jeff Paine, CEO of the Asia Internet Coalition, who said in the letter to the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner that if the group of companies and its members oppose the doxer, “the vague wording of the proposed amendments could mean that companies and their staff based in the country could be subject to criminal investigations and prosecution for doxing offenses committed by their users”.

the doxer It is an act of revealing users’ personal information, such as their real name, home address or place of work, without the user’s permission, which the three technologies claim to do nothing. share in the world.

The Hong Kong Constitutional and Continental Affairs Office in May, proposed amendments to the city’s data protection laws that it said were necessary to tackle the doxer, a practice that prevailed during the 2019 protests in the city, the newspaper said. With the new wording, the signatures could be arbitrarily accused of such a crime by the regime authorities..

According to the WSJ, the letter dated June 25 was sent by the Singapore-based Asia Internet Coalition.

“The only way to avoid these sanctions for tech companies would be to refrain from investing and offering services in Hong Kong.»Reported the Newspaper, citing the letter.

In the last days The Chinese regime has stepped up its campaign against tech companies with several investigations into companies such as “Chinese Uber” Didi, which debuted on the New York Stock Exchange last week., due to alleged risks to the security of user data.

Two days after Didi’s IPO on Wall Street, following an IPO in which she raised more than $ 4.4 billion, The China Cyberspace Administration (CAC) has opened an investigation against the company and banned it from registering new users before removing its app from Chinese digital stores.

Today, the authorities opened similar investigations against the job portal Boss Zhipin and against two other carpooling companies, Yunmanman and Huochebang, belonging to the Full Truck Alliance group and known as “Didi of Trucks” due to their similar business model.

Beijing, which claims the measures are aimed at “Prevent risks to national security and protect the general interest”, has also restricted the registration of new users on these three platforms.

In their concise statements, The CAC cites the national security law or cybersecurity law, but does not specify which articles of those regulations the companies concerned have violated.

Didi, Kanzhun – the parent company of Boss Zhipin – and the Full Truck Alliance not only have in common that they are companies that provide their services through digital platforms, but also that they have all gone public in the States- United in recent weeks.

“The rise of ‘data sovereignty’ against US government surveillance of Chinese companies should be a blow to (companies) to prioritize national security when considering raising funds in areas that can threaten China’s national security. “, Has indicated Dong shaopeng, a researcher at Peking People’s University, in statements to the Official Gazette World time.

According to this expert, shared transport companies manage large amounts of data linked to national transport infrastructures or to the flow of people and vehicles, therefore, he considers it “essential” to establish a “firewall” that prevents access to this data.

Dong went further and called for the withdrawal of recently issued Didi shares, which fell 8.5% at the opening of trading last Friday in New York after the investigation was announced.

The antitrust campaign aims to end common practices among major Chinese tech companies such as the one known as “Choose one of the two” – that is, forced exclusivity with a specific platform, common in the e-commerce sector –, lowering prices through subsidies to obtain a greater market share or the acquisition of other companies without the corresponding authorization.

In recent months, The country’s large digital companies have been the subject of investigations and sanctions such as the 18.2 billion yuan ($ 2.818 billion, 2.375 billion euros) imposed in April by the markets regulator on the trade giant Alibaba electronics., the biggest antitrust fine in the country’s history.

For years, the digital sector has thrived in China not only thanks to the country’s huge market but also lax regulations – or their enforcement – something Beijing seems to have put an end to in recent months, especially since the suspension. late IPO. from Alibaba’s financial technology company, Ant Group, which was to be the largest such operation in history.

Yes OK Some analysts believe that the Chinese regime does not want to allow big technologies to grow to an excessive size and power and thus escape the control of the authorities.Others like Ivan Platonov of Chinese consultancy EqualOcean say this is “superficial advice”

“These antitrust intentions are natural (…). We are seeing a strong demand from various industry lobby groups for this type of research. Clearly having a few ‘national champions’ is an easier environment to control than a diverse group of segmented leaders, ”he told the agency. EFE.

(With information from the Wall Street Journal, Reuters and EFE) .-

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