Taiwanese scholars warned on Aug. 25 that China's tightening internet rules hand its police sweeping powers over individuals' online activity, raising risks for Taiwanese who travel to China. The Measures for Public Security Organs' Supervision and Inspection of Cyberspace Security take effect on Oct. 1 and, for the first time, list individuals as subjects of police inspection, the Liberty Times reported. One case cited involved a Taiwanese businessperson who took a blank new phone to China, only to be stopped by police and asked whether they had a guilty conscience.
What are the rules? China has recently introduced those measures alongside a revised draft of its Measures for the Administration of Internet Information Services, issued for public comment, CNA reported from a Taipei symposium hosted by the Association for Asia Political Economy and Peace, which Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen You-chung attended. Tan Wei-en, a professor at National Chung Hsing University, said the measures shift Beijing's controls toward requiring individuals' online conduct to conform, while giving police room to "discover risks and hidden dangers" through online patrols. A single set of administrative rules, he said, hands police enormous enforcement power.
What effects do scholars expect? Tan said the rules risk a chilling effect and self-censorship that would narrow cross-strait exchanges to conservative topics, as people avoid causing trouble for contacts on the other side. He also said the strategy may be tearing at Taiwanese society, as "why would going across the strait get you in trouble" becomes a subject of public debate that wears down democratic resilience. Lin Chan-hui of Feng Chia University said the rules come close to turning internet oversight into police work, may reach upstream to algorithms, and could push users into pre-emptive self-censorship that shrinks public space.
What did the panel recommend? Scholars urged the government to issue separate risk guidance for the different groups travelling to China, CNA reported. Hung Pu-chao of the University of Taipei said police would have wide discretion to define risks and could summon people for questioning before any "fact" has occurred. For ordinary people, he said, "the invisible landmines are the hardest to guard against."
Are other rules coming? China is to implement revised entry and exit regulations on Sept. 15, the Taipei Times reported. Under Beijing's new border controls, Taiwanese visitors could be detained for involvement in sensitive technology or for working for a "hostile company," a national security source said.
