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China has been exploiting US tech companies for years, and it’s only getting worse. Here’s how they’re doing it and what you can do about it.
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The Great Firewall of China
US tech companies have long been complicit in China’s censorship and surveillance regime, known as the “Great Firewall of China.” This regime has stifled free expression and innovation, and it has had a chilling effect on the global Internet. US tech companies have enabled the Great Firewall of China by providing the Chinese government with the technology and services it needs to censor and surveil its citizens.
How the Great Firewall works
The Great Firewall, also known as the Golden Shield Project, is a system designed to censor Internet content in China. The system filters and blocks information that the Chinese government deems to be unacceptable, such as information about human rights, freedom of expression, and democracy. It also blocks international websites like Google, Facebook, and YouTube.
The Great Firewall is not a single piece of technology. It is a system that employs several techniques to block content, including DNS filtering, URL filtering, and IP blocking.
DNS filtering is used to block access to websites by redirecting DNS requests for blocked sites to a different server. This technique makes it difficult to access blocked websites because the DNS server will not resolve the correct IP address for the website.
URL filtering is used to block access to specific pages on a website. This technique can be used to block access to specific video or article on a website while still allowing access to the rest of the site.
IP blocking is used to block access to entire websites by preventing users from connecting to the IP address of the website. This technique makes it difficult to access blocked websites because users will not be able to connect to the IP address of the website.
The Great Firewall and US tech companies
The Great Firewall of China (GFW) is the Chinese government’s internet censorship and surveillance project, which employs a variety of techniques to control what content Chinese internet users can access. The GFW is perhaps best known for its efforts to block websites that are critical of the Chinese government, but it also blocks a range of other content, including western news sites, social media platforms, and online tools used by human rights activists and journalists.
One of the most controversial aspects of the GFW is its use of western technology. In order to censor and surveil the internet more effectively, the Chinese government has forced many US tech companies to give it access to their data and technology. These companies include Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Skype.
The GFW has had a major impact on freedom of expression in China. It has made it difficult for Chinese citizens to access information that is critical of the government, and it has allowed the government to track and monitor the online activities of its citizens. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile cases in which Chinese citizens have been arrested or imprisoned for their online activities.
Despite its controversial nature, the GFW continues to be an important part of the Chinese government’s efforts to control information and maintain stability in the country.
Chinese espionage
It’s no secret that China has been stealing technology from the US for many years now. They’ve been doing it so well, and for so long, that it’s almost considered an art form at this point. Some of the ways they’ve been able to do this is by exploiting US tech companies.
How Chinese espionage works
China has long been accused of stealing trade secrets and intellectual property from US companies, and the issue has become increasingly contentious in recent years.
There are a number of ways that Chinese espionage can take place, but one common method is known as “industrial espionage”. This involves Chinese nationals working within US companies, or gaining access to their information, in order to steal trade secrets or other sensitive data.
Another method is cyberespionage, which involves hackers breaking into US company systems in order to steal data or plant malware. In some cases, these hackers may be working on behalf of the Chinese government.
The Chinese government has also been accused of direct theft of US trade secrets. In 2012, for example, five Chinese military officers were charged with stealing information from American nuclear power, metals and solar companies.
In recent years, the US government has taken a number of steps to try and combat Chinese espionage, including indicting a number of individuals and passing new laws. However, it remains a major problem for American businesses.
Chinese espionage and US tech companies
Chinese espionage against US tech companies has been a major problem for the US government and businesses for many years. In recent years, the problem has become even more pronounced, as Chinese hackers have increasingly targeted US businesses in order to steal trade secrets and other valuable information.
In response to this growing threat, the US government has taken a number of steps to try to protect US businesses from Chinese espionage. The most recent and significant of these steps was the indictment of five Chinese military officers in May 2014 on charges of economic espionage. This was the first time that the US had filed charges against another country’s military officers for cyber crimes.
Despite these efforts, Chinese espionage against US tech companies continues to be a major problem. In March 2015, it was revealed that Chinese hackers had stolen information on over 22 million current and former federal employees from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This was one of the largest data breaches in US history, and it highlighted the vulnerability of US businesses to Chinese cyber attacks.
The US response
In March 2018, the US
The US government response
After years of intelligence warnings, the US government is finally taking action on Chinese economic espionage. In February, the US justice department indicted Chinese intelligence officers and hackers associated with the Chinese military for stealing trade secrets from US aerospace and tech companies.
This is a welcome development, but it’s only a first step. The US needs to do much more to counter the scale and scope of China’s economic espionage, which threatens not only American jobs and competitiveness, but also the security of our critical infrastructure.
There are three main ways the US can further counter Chinese economic espionage:
1) Strengthen domestic security: The US needs to better protect its critical infrastructure and trade secrets. This includes hardening our cyber defenses, improving information security protocols at companies, and increasing government oversight of sensitive technologies.
2) Increase international cooperation: The US should work with allies to disrupt Chinese intelligence networks and sanctioned Chinese companies that benefit from stolen trade secrets.
3) Get tough on China: The US should use all available tools to punish Beijing for its actions, including financial sanctions, export controls, and indictments of senior Chinese officials.
The US tech industry response
In the face of an increasingly competitive landscape, and with China poised to overtake the US as the world’s largest economy, American tech companies have begun to make changes.
The most significant change has been an increase in investment in research and development (R&D). In 2016, US tech companies spent a record $646 billion on R&D, up 5.6% from 2015. This increase was driven by a few large companies, including Amazon, Facebook, and Google. But even smaller companies are getting in on the action: In 2016, smaller firms accounted for 22% of all R&D spending by US tech firms.
This increased focus on R&D is intended to help these companies develop the next generation of breakthrough technologies. But it’s also a recognition that they need to do more to compete with China’s state-backed firms, which are often willing to lose money for years in order to gain market share.
In addition to increasing their R&D spending, US tech firms are also looking for other ways to compete with China. One such strategy is to move production closer to home. This “reshoring” of manufacturing jobs is being driven by a number of factors, including fears about Chinese intellectual property theft and worries about the country’s labor and environmental standards.
So far, this reshoring trend has been modest: In 2016, just 3% of US manufacturers said they were planning to bring production back from China. But that number is expected to grow in the years ahead as more companies become concerned about China’s increasingly aggressive posture on trade and technology.
