Skip to main content

China’s newest rules on foreign content are stricter than ever

A free Internet appears increasingly mythical in China, where the latest set of rules have restricted all foreign content from appearing within the country’s borders. According to the new regulations, (Chinese-language link) released earlier this week by State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, both foreign companies and their affiliates will be banned from sharing digital content, ranging from text to games to video.

The foreign content restrictions will be implemented in full by March 10, the Chinese government says, and will require all potential publishers to first negotiate with state officials before being able to disseminate anything, including digitized books, art, literature, and science on the Web.

Recommended Videos

“This is the latest in a series of legal changes that seek to restrict the influence of foreign or western ideas,” Jacques deLisle, a Chinese law expert at the University of Pennsylvania told the New York Times. “And it’s also part of a larger attempt to exercise control over the Internet and new media.” Already, China has enormous controls on its version of the Internet — censorship runs rampant, and many American Internet companies, including Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, are inaccessible in China.

“Foreign media have never been able to operate freely in China, so in some ways there is nothing new here,” Jeremy Goldkorn, director of Danwei, a research firm tracking Chinese media, told Fortune.

But what may be new is the extent to which these rules will actually be enforceable. Ying Chan, the director of the journalism program at the University of Hong Kong, expressed his skepticism at the applicability of the new limitations in an interview with Quartz. “Using rules of the print age to govern the Internet does not work,” she said. “How do you license media in an age when everyone could become a writer and publisher? With this set of regulations, the government is fighting both market forces and technology.”

 

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
The chip shortage is pinching PC parts harder than ever before
An Intel wafer on a blue background.

Almost a year after the global chip shortage came into focus, the situation for the semiconductor industry hasn't improved. In fact, it has gotten worse. According to new research from Susquehanna Financial Group, which has tracked chipmakers since 2017, the chip shortage is ramping up like never before.

As reported by Bloomberg, lead times from chipmakers have reached an all-time high. With this level of high-volume production, computer makers, car manufacturers, and anyone with a toe in the world of electronics need to place orders well in advance to account for how long the chips take to make. Normally, lead times are about 12-15 weeks. Now, they're over 20 weeks -- the longest time Susquehanna Financial Group has seen since 2017.

Read more
Tech for Change: CES 2021 reveals new ways to stay healthier than ever before
blood pressure sleep health monitor ces 2021 tatch hand lifestyle

 

Technological doodads that help us monitor our health have exploded in recent years, starting with our steps (thank you, Fitbit!) and heartbeat and moving into all sorts of innovative spaces. The market for “connected health monitoring devices,” as the Consumer Technology Association calls them, grew 73% in 2020 -- and will surge by another 34% next year.

Read more
SpaceX’s new Cargo Dragon splashdown will deliver science cargo faster than ever
spacex cargo dragon science delivery 7 iss048e065818 1

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins poses next to cold stowage Polar Facilities in the SpaceX CRS-9 cargo Dragon spacecraft in 2016. The new cargo spacecraft has more powered locker space, enabling additional cold stowage space. NASA

SpaceX's newly upgraded Cargo Dragon capsule will soon be returning to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), carrying the results of scientific experiments performed in microgravity. And then an elaborate ballet will begin, requiring the fast collection of the science cargo before Earth's gravity can have a negative effect on any of the experiments inside.

Read more