Wednesday September 1, 2021		INDEX
China strangles tech freedom
China appears to be increasingly taking the lead when it comes to tech. Its latest move completely over turns the principle of net neutrality, one of the fundamental concepts for the nerd community. In order to stop Chinese children over using online games its National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), the regulator which approves video game titles, is creating what it calls an anti-addiction system. Chinese game players already have to insert their personal national registration number to get access to the internet. Children will not be able to steal their parents number because the game companies are creating a facial recognition lock. To me that sounds like pretty good security, so what is the 'anti addiction system'? My guess, though it is not spelled out in the stuff I have read, is that the Chinese government are trying to prevent citizens gaining access to non-approved software, perhaps even non-approved web sites. You probably think they do this already and maybe they do. But the purpose of Virtual Personal Networks is to side step governmental controls on the internet. The combination of national registration numbers and an 'anti addiction system' may make VPNs a complete waste of time. Net neutrality can not exist if the government completely controls everything that appears on screens. The Hindu: Why and how China is drastically restricting internet use
Wednesday September 1, 2021		INDEX