China’s mounting cyber terrorism and Google’s cheap trade tricks
By Chime Tenzing
Ironically or paradoxically – whatever you may call it, while the world media is inundated with the news about the war of words between Google and China over the latter’s blatant and barefaced cyber attacks through cyber-espionage, theft and hackings, I was nonchalantly, by means of Google’s search engine, trying to dig out some information on the recent Google-China fracas! I was momentarily carried away by the fact that finally Google – the world’s most popular search engine is out exposing shenanigans of the communist China with its reported decision to pull out from China after almost four years of its kowtowing to Chinese cyber pundits! But it is too early to write anything positive on these developments that have been taking place in the past one week.
The reports that have been making rounds recently said – “Google was thinking about quitting China after suffering a sophisticated cyber-attack on its network that resulted in theft of its intellectual property”. But, Tibetans knows it very well from the beginning of Google’s love affairs with China way back in 2006 when Google formally launched its services in China. So we Tibetans have reasons to believe that Google’s decision only comes when its own business interest is in stake, not that they love freedom of speech and expression!
Not long ago, Apple has also disclosed its plans of cooperating with the Chinese government to ban iPhone applications in China related to the Dalai Lama and Uighur activist Rebiya Kandeer to the world. This shows that the corporate biggies like Google and Apple have been instrumental in supporting Chinese political aspirations in order to reap fat revenues and expand its business interest.
The fact that the Gmail account of a Tibetan student based in America had been hacked because she had been an activist of Students For A Free Tibet Campaign (SFT) shows that the state-sponsored Chinese hackers keep tab on the activities happening even in a free world like America, without regarding for individual fundamental right to privacy and violating basic freedom of expression in all forms.
All these facts highlight the growing threats from China on the freedom of speech and expression not only to its own citizens, but also to the rest of the ‘free world’. It is obvious that Google would not relent easily unless the world netizens stand up united against Google and the likes and call for a censor-free internet services. Such genuine sentiments should stem from the fact that due to Google’s cooperation with Chinese government, state-trained Chinese hackers have been able to trace and book many innocent citizens in China and Tibet due to their ‘violations’ of so-called Chinese cyber rules!
It is easy for us living in a ‘censor free’ world to miss the insinuation of 24/7 surveillances over our internet freedom but those hapless citizens under the Chinese rule knows the real value of freedom as basic as gathering and disseminating information on subjects of their interest.
Last year Chinese authorities have arrested a popular young Tibetan singer, accusing him of composing subversive songs and lyrics. That was followed by arrest of Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese intellectual and literary critic who played a pivotal role in Tiananmen Square 20 years ago and who has been in and out of jail ever since for his uncompromising activism for freedom of expression in China.
According to the reports by The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN in 2008 Jamyang Kyi, a prominent Tibetan singer and a song-writer, internet writer and feminist activist, has been arrested and held without charges since 1 April 2008,
Reporters Without Borders voiced its concerns over the Tibetan TV presenter Washu Rangjong arrested by Chinese military police officers at his home in the east Tibetan district of Sertha, on 11 September last year. Rangjong is also a singer and the author of two books on Tibetan culture.
In the same year three young Tibetans from the Dara village have been held in Nagchu County since 1 October 2009. The three were arrested for allegedly posting pictures of Dalai Lama and information on Tibet on chat website qq.com. The police have not allowed the three – identified as Gyaltsen, 25, Nyima Wangchuk, 24, and Yeshe Namkha, 25 – to have any contact with their families since their arrest.
“The Internet is monitored, censored and manipulated more in Tibet than in other Chinese provinces,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Despite the risks, Tibetan Internet users continue to transmit information, especially to the diaspora and human rights groups. It is deplorable that the Chinese police devote so much energy to identifying and arresting ordinary Internet users.”
Several bloggers and other Internet users have been arrested in Tibet last year. They include Pasang Norbu, arrested in Lhasa on 12 August for looking at online photos of the Tibetan flag and Dalai Lama, and Gonpo Tserang, a guide sentenced to three years in prison in June on charges of inciting separatism and “communicating outside the country” for sending emails and SMS messages about the March 2008 protests in Tibet.
Kunchok Tsephel Gopey , the editor of the Tibetan website Chomei (The Lamp), was arrested in Gannan, in Gansu province, on 26 February. Relatives said the police searched his house and confiscated his computer.
Another Tibetan website, Tibet Culture (www.tibetcul.com), has been not been operational since 5 March 2009. A message posted on the home page says the closure is to due to “technical reasons” and thanks Internet users for their “support.” Meanwhile, it has proved impossible to send SMS messages in the Tibetan parts of Sichuan province for the last few days. SMS messages were used to organize demonstrations in March 2008 uprising.
In another reports, during the trials held on 27 October and 7 November 2008, a Lhasa intermediate court convicted a total of seven Tibetans for participating in demonstrations and illegally sending information outside China. They were given jail sentences ranging from eight years to life.
Wangdue , a former political prisoner who had helped campaign against HIV in Tibet, was given a life sentence for endangering state security. He had been held incommunicado from 14 March to 7 November by the Lhasa Public Security Bureau. Migmar Dhondup, was given 14 years in prison on the same charge of “endangering state security.” Phuntsok Dorjee was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years of loss of political rights on a “treason” charge for “illegally giving information” to people outside China. Tsewang Dorjee got eight year in jail on the same charge. Similarly, Sonam Dakpa and Sonam Tseten got 10 years and Yeshi Choedon got 15 years.
According to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, an intermediate court in Kardze had sentenced Ludrub Phuntsok , a 23-year-old monk and editor from Ngaba (Sichuan), to 13 years in prison on 23 October on a charge of “endangering state security.” A brilliant student at Amchok monastery and editor of the magazine Maseng Shedra (Flowers of Expression), he was arrested for taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Tibet on 16 March 2008.
Logyam , a Tibetan writer from Ngaba who wrote articles for Maseng Shedra, is serving a six-year prison sentence in Maowar prison in Sichuan for compiling and disseminating articles and speeches by the Dalai Lama. Aged 36, he has been held since 2005 and has reportedly been beaten repeatedly by prison guards for refusing to criticize the Tibetan spiritual leader.
The reinforced security forces in Tibet have arrested dozens of Tibetans in the run-up to the 10 March anniversary in 2008. Most of them are held in a former military base at Denggongtang, east of Lhasa, or have been forcibly sent back to their region of origin.
And not to forget, Tibet’s most famous woman writer and blogger Woeser was accused and arrested by police after she returned home briefly to Lhasa, the capital. After the March riots, hackers hijacked her blog, removed its content and left an animation of China’s five-star national flag fluttering below the message: “Long Live the People’s Republic of China! Down will [with] all Tibetan independence elements!”
Today China tops the list among the nations notorious for violating cyber ethics and principles of free expression. From hackings, censorships and cyber-espionage to theft of intellectual property rights, China is virtually becoming the biggest threat in the virtual world. Unless Google and other corporate biggies decide to pull out from China before it is too late, the world will be mute spectators to the tricks of the Chinese cyberpunks in the new Cyber Age!
[OPINION-DISCLAIMER]
