China is a global powerhouse that has come out on top in nearly every economic indicator over the last few years. But it has been pilloried for its absence of democracy and clampdown on political protests.
Even though freedom of speech, association and the press are guaranteed in the constitution, the government’s inability (or unwillingness) to uphold those rights and a lack of transparency dominate any discussion of data mining in China. It is not surprising then, that when it comes to matters of national interest, even the constitution allows for individual privacy to be set aside.
Despite the mention of a right to privacy in Article 40, the constitution specifically allows for government surveillance as well as censorship in matters relating to national security.
China still does not have any data protection law and the draft policy that is being finalized will only regulate the way the private sector is able to process individuals’ data. Individuals have no way of checking the data held by the government or correct any inaccurate information.
Golden Shield
The internet explosion in China brought with it new challenges for the Chinese government. The attempt to clampdown on anti-government views proved to be increasingly difficult, with the internet providing a convenient tool for many dissidents.
To address this issue, China put in place the Golden Shield. It came into existence in 2003 and is maintained by the Ministry of Public Security.
It has become an all-encompassing surveillance network that is responsible for tracking internet activity within China. According to researchers, the aim of the Golden Shield, which is derisively known as the “Great Firewall of China,” is to create a gigantic online database that would incorporate records from smart cards, credit cards and internet activity.
To extend the reach of the system, Beijing is directing businesses to install surveillance technologies on their networks to be able to track users on wi-fi networks, besides photographing customers and recording their names at internet cafes.
American companies and data mining
China’s intent to set up a comprehensive surveillance network has been matched by a rather tame response from big multinational corporations to stay clear of it. In 2008, a group of researchers in Canada discovered a surveillance system that monitors text conversations on Skype and flagged conversations with certain inflammatory keywords. This was being done on the network TOM-Skype, the Chinese version of Skype.
Others, such as Microsoft, have been accused of providing technology to help profile users. More recently Cisco, according to news reports, has been providing the technology for one of the largest surveillance systems ever implemented, in the city of Chongqing.
Tracking of mobile phone users
Plans are afoot to put in place a system that would allow GPS tracking of millions of mobile phone users in the nation’s capital.
It is being called an “information platform of real-time citizen movement,” to help ease traffic congestion in China’s bigger cities, but it has sparked concerns about another tool being added to the government’s ability to track its citizens.
According to Human Rights Watch, China’s internet surveillance apparatus is the world’s most advanced, and several additional measures were taken to enhance those systems in the lead up to the 2008 Olympics. It is also believed that China maintains a force of nearly 30,000 people to monitor online content and to track internet users.
Because of the government’s aggressive monitoring of the international media and very little information emerging from parts of Western China, there are still a lot of stories that never make it to the public sphere.
The proposed commercial data protection policy may be the harbinger of a broader concern about data mining, but there is no indication of whether transparency will ever make its way into the actions of the Chinese government.
Chinese Constitution
China’s Golden Shield
