When Jennifer Chen travelled back to her hometown in central China last winter for Lunar New Year, she thought little about Twitter. She had around 100 followers on an account she believed to be anonymous.

While living in China, she retweeted news and videos, and occasionally made comments censored on Chinese platforms, like voicing her support for Hong Kong’s protesters and her solidarity with minorities who have been interned.

It wasn’t much, but it was enough for the authorities to go after her. The police knocked on her parents’ door when she was visiting. She said they had summoned her to the station, questioned her and then commanded her to delete her Twitter posts and account. They continued to track her when she went overseas to study, calling her and her mother to ask if Chen had recently visited any human rights websites.

The Chinese government, which has built an extensive digital infrastructure and security apparatus to control dissent on its own platforms, is going to even greater lengths to extend its internet dragnet to unmask and silence those who criticize the country on Twitter, Facebook and other international social media.

These new investigations, targeting sites blocked inside China, are relying on sophisticated technological methods to expand the reach of Chinese authorities and the list of targets, according to a New York Times examination of government procurement documents and legal records, as well as interviews with one government contractor and six people pressured by the police.

To hunt people, security forces use advanced investigation software, public records and databases to find all their personal information and international social media presence. The operations sometimes target those living beyond China’s borders. Police officers are pursuing dissidents and minor critics like Chen, as well as Chinese people living overseas and even citizens of other nations.

The digital manhunt represents the punitive side of the government’s vast campaign to counter negative portrayals of China. In recent years, the Communist Party has raised bot armies, deployed diplomats and marshalled influencers to push its narratives and drown out criticism. The police have taken it a step further, hounding and silencing those who dare to talk back.

With growing frequency, the authorities are harassing critics both inside and outside China, as well as threatening relatives, in an effort to get them to delete content deemed criminal. One video recording, provided by a Chinese student living in Australia, showed how the police in her hometown had summoned her father, called her with his phone and pushed her to remove her Twitter account.

The new tactics raise questions about the spread of powerful investigative software and bustling data markets that can make it easy to track even the most cautious social media user on international platforms. U.S. regulators have repeatedly blocked Chinese deals to acquire American technology companies over the access they provide to personal data. They have done much less to control the widespread availability of online services that offer location data, social media records and personal information.

For Chinese security forces, the effort is a daring expansion of a remit that previously focused on Chinese platforms and the best-known overseas dissidents. Now, violations as simple as a post of a critical article on Twitter — or in the case of 23-year-old Chen, quoting, “I stand with Hong Kong” — can bring swift repercussions.

Actions against people for speaking out on Twitter and Facebook have increased in China since 2019, according to an online database aggregating them. The database, compiled by an anonymous activist, records cases based on publicly available verdicts, police notices and news reports, although information is limited in China.

“The net has definitely been cast wider overseas during the past year or so,” said Yaxue Cao, editor of ChinaChange.org, a website that covers civil society and human rights. The goal is to encourage already widespread self-censorship among Chinese people on global social media, she said, likening the purging of critics to an overactive lawn mower.

“They cut down the things that look spindly and tall — the most outspoken,” she said. “Then they look around, the taller pieces of grass no longer cover the lower ones. They say, ‘Oh these are problematic too, let’s mow them down again.’”

Chinese security authorities are bringing new technical expertise and funding to the process, according to publicly available procurement documents, police manuals and the government contractor, who is working on overseas internet investigations.

In 2020, when the police in the western province of Gansu sought companies to help monitor international social media, they laid out a grading system. One criterion included a company’s ability to analyze Twitter accounts, including tweets and lists of followers. The police in Shanghai offered $1,500 to a technology firm for each investigation into an overseas account, according to a May procurement document.

Such work often begins with a single tweet or Facebook post that has attracted official attention, according to the contractor, who declined to be named because he was not approved to speak publicly about the work. A specialist in tracking people living in the United States, he said he used voter registries, driver’s license records and hacked databases on the dark web to pinpoint the people behind the posts. Personal photos posted online can be used to infer addresses and friends.

A Chinese police manual and examination for online security professionals detailed and ranked the types of speech crimes that investigators seek out, labelling them with a one, two or three depending on the severity of the violation. One denotes criticism of top leadership or plans to politically organize or protest; two includes the promotion of liberal ideology and attacks on the government; and three, the least urgent, refers to content ranging from libel to pornography. The manual specifically called for monitoring activity on foreign websites.

The contractor said he used the rankings to classify infractions on dossiers he submitted to his bosses in China’s security apparatus. In a sample document reviewed by The Times, he listed key details about each person he looked into, including personal and career information and professional and family connections to China, as well as a statistical analysis of the reach of the person’s account. His approach was corroborated by procurement documents and guides for online security workers.

Over the past year, he said, he had been assigned to investigate a mix of Chinese undergraduates studying in the United States, a Chinese American policy analyst who is a U.S. citizen and journalists who previously worked in China.

Those caught up in the dragnet are often baffled at how the authorities linked them to anonymous social media accounts on international platforms.

The Chinese student in Australia, who provided the video recording from her police questioning, recalled the terror she had felt when she first received a call from her father in China in spring 2020. The police told him to go to a local station over a parody account she had created to mock China’s leader, Xi Jinping. She declined to be named over concerns about reprisals.

In an audio recording she also provided, the police told her via her father’s phone that they knew her account was being used from Australia. Her distraught father instructed her to listen to the police.

Three weeks later, they summoned him again. This time, calling her via video chat, they told her to report to the station when she returned to China and asked how much longer her Australian visa was valid. Fearful, she denied owning the Twitter account but filmed the call and kept the account up. A few months later, Twitter suspended it.

After an inquiry from The Times, Twitter restored the account without explaining why it had taken it down.

Consequences can be steep. When a Chinese student living in Taiwan criticized China this year, he said, both of his parents disappeared for 10 days. His social media accounts within China were also immediately shut down.

The student, who declined to be named out of fear of further reprisals, said he still did not know what had happened to his parents. He doesn’t dare to ask because they told him that local security forces were monitoring them.

“Those who live abroad are also very scared,” said Eric Liu, a censorship analyst at China Digital Times, a website that monitors Chinese internet controls. He said that Chinese users on Twitter were becoming increasingly careful and that many set their accounts to private mode out of fear. Liu's account is public, but he screens new followers, looking for Chinese security officials who might be watching him.

For Chen, the police harassment has continued even after she moved to Europe this fall for graduate school. She has struggled with feelings of shame and powerlessness as she has weighed the importance of expressing her political views against the risks that now entails. It has driven a rift in her relationship with her mother, who was adamant that she change her ways.

Chen said that as long as she held a Chinese passport she would worry about her safety. As a young person with little work experience and less influence, she said it was frustrating to have her voice taken away: “I feel weak, like there’s no way for me to show my strength, no way to do something for others.”

Even so, she said she would continue to post, albeit with more caution.

“Even though it is still dangerous, I have to move forward step by step,” she said. “I can’t just keep censoring myself. I have to stop cowering.”

When Jennifer Chen travelled back to her hometown in central China last winter for Lunar New Year, she thought little about Twitter. She had around 100 followers on an account she believed to be anonymous.

When Jennifer Chen travelled back to her hometown in central China last winter for Lunar New Year, she thought little about Twitter. She had around 100 followers on an account she believed to be anonymous. While living in China, she retweeted news and videos, and occasionally made comments censored on Chinese platforms, like voicing her support for Hong Kong’s protesters and her solidarity with minorities who have been interned. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for the authorities to go after her. The police knocked on her parents’ door when she was visiting. She said they had summoned her to the station, questioned her and then commanded her to delete her Twitter posts and account. They continued to track her when she went overseas to study, calling her and her mother to ask if Chen had recently visited any human rights websites. The Chinese government, which has built an extensive digital infrastructure and security apparatus to control dissent on its own platforms, is going to even greater lengths to extend its internet dragnet to unmask and silence those who criticize the country on Twitter, Facebook and other international social media. These new investigations, targeting sites blocked inside China, are relying on sophisticated technological methods to expand the reach of Chinese authorities and the list of targets, according to a New York Times examination of government procurement documents and legal records, as well as interviews with one government contractor and six people pressured by the police. To hunt people, security forces use advanced investigation software, public records and databases to find all their personal information and international social media presence. The operations sometimes target those living beyond China’s borders. Police officers are pursuing dissidents and minor critics like Chen, as well as Chinese people living overseas and even citizens of other nations. The digital manhunt represents the punitive side of the government’s vast campaign to counter negative portrayals of China. In recent years, the Communist Party has raised bot armies, deployed diplomats and marshalled influencers to push its narratives and drown out criticism. The police have taken it a step further, hounding and silencing those who dare to talk back. With growing frequency, the authorities are harassing critics both inside and outside China, as well as threatening relatives, in an effort to get them to delete content deemed criminal. One video recording, provided by a Chinese student living in Australia, showed how the police in her hometown had summoned her father, called her with his phone and pushed her to remove her Twitter account. The new tactics raise questions about the spread of powerful investigative software and bustling data markets that can make it easy to track even the most cautious social media user on international platforms. U.S. regulators have repeatedly blocked Chinese deals to acquire American technology companies over the access they provide to personal data. They have done much less to control the widespread availability of online services that offer location data, social media records and personal information. For Chinese security forces, the effort is a daring expansion of a remit that previously focused on Chinese platforms and the best-known overseas dissidents. Now, violations as simple as a post of a critical article on Twitter — or in the case of 23-year-old Chen, quoting, “I stand with Hong Kong” — can bring swift repercussions. Actions against people for speaking out on Twitter and Facebook have increased in China since 2019, according to an online database aggregating them. The database, compiled by an anonymous activist, records cases based on publicly available verdicts, police notices and news reports, although information is limited in China. “The net has definitely been cast wider overseas during the past year or so,” said Yaxue Cao, editor of ChinaChange.org, a website that covers civil society and human rights. The goal is to encourage already widespread self-censorship among Chinese people on global social media, she said, likening the purging of critics to an overactive lawn mower. “They cut down the things that look spindly and tall — the most outspoken,” she said. “Then they look around, the taller pieces of grass no longer cover the lower ones. They say, ‘Oh these are problematic too, let’s mow them down again.’” Chinese security authorities are bringing new technical expertise and funding to the process, according to publicly available procurement documents, police manuals and the government contractor, who is working on overseas internet investigations. In 2020, when the police in the western province of Gansu sought companies to help monitor international social media, they laid out a grading system. One criterion included a company’s ability to analyze Twitter accounts, including tweets and lists of followers. The police in Shanghai offered $1,500 to a technology firm for each investigation into an overseas account, according to a May procurement document. Such work often begins with a single tweet or Facebook post that has attracted official attention, according to the contractor, who declined to be named because he was not approved to speak publicly about the work. A specialist in tracking people living in the United States, he said he used voter registries, driver’s license records and hacked databases on the dark web to pinpoint the people behind the posts. Personal photos posted online can be used to infer addresses and friends. A Chinese police manual and examination for online security professionals detailed and ranked the types of speech crimes that investigators seek out, labelling them with a one, two or three depending on the severity of the violation. One denotes criticism of top leadership or plans to politically organize or protest; two includes the promotion of liberal ideology and attacks on the government; and three, the least urgent, refers to content ranging from libel to pornography. The manual specifically called for monitoring activity on foreign websites. The contractor said he used the rankings to classify infractions on dossiers he submitted to his bosses in China’s security apparatus. In a sample document reviewed by The Times, he listed key details about each person he looked into, including personal and career information and professional and family connections to China, as well as a statistical analysis of the reach of the person’s account. His approach was corroborated by procurement documents and guides for online security workers. Over the past year, he said, he had been assigned to investigate a mix of Chinese undergraduates studying in the United States, a Chinese American policy analyst who is a U.S. citizen and journalists who previously worked in China. Those caught up in the dragnet are often baffled at how the authorities linked them to anonymous social media accounts on international platforms. The Chinese student in Australia, who provided the video recording from her police questioning, recalled the terror she had felt when she first received a call from her father in China in spring 2020. The police told him to go to a local station over a parody account she had created to mock China’s leader, Xi Jinping. She declined to be named over concerns about reprisals. In an audio recording she also provided, the police told her via her father’s phone that they knew her account was being used from Australia. Her distraught father instructed her to listen to the police. Three weeks later, they summoned him again. This time, calling her via video chat, they told her to report to the station when she returned to China and asked how much longer her Australian visa was valid. Fearful, she denied owning the Twitter account but filmed the call and kept the account up. A few months later, Twitter suspended it. After an inquiry from The Times, Twitter restored the account without explaining why it had taken it down. Consequences can be steep. When a Chinese student living in Taiwan criticized China this year, he said, both of his parents disappeared for 10 days. His social media accounts within China were also immediately shut down. The student, who declined to be named out of fear of further reprisals, said he still did not know what had happened to his parents. He doesn’t dare to ask because they told him that local security forces were monitoring them. “Those who live abroad are also very scared,” said Eric Liu, a censorship analyst at China Digital Times, a website that monitors Chinese internet controls. He said that Chinese users on Twitter were becoming increasingly careful and that many set their accounts to private mode out of fear. Liu's account is public, but he screens new followers, looking for Chinese security officials who might be watching him. For Chen, the police harassment has continued even after she moved to Europe this fall for graduate school. She has struggled with feelings of shame and powerlessness as she has weighed the importance of expressing her political views against the risks that now entails. It has driven a rift in her relationship with her mother, who was adamant that she change her ways. Chen said that as long as she held a Chinese passport she would worry about her safety. As a young person with little work experience and less influence, she said it was frustrating to have her voice taken away: “I feel weak, like there’s no way for me to show my strength, no way to do something for others.” Even so, she said she would continue to post, albeit with more caution. “Even though it is still dangerous, I have to move forward step by step,” she said. “I can’t just keep censoring myself. I have to stop cowering.”

A Digital manhunt: How Chinese police track critics on Twitter and Facebook

China continued its crackdown on the internet directing online platforms to ensure it does not mislead users as it sought to register and review advertisers and adverts.

The new rules which are open for discussion till December 25 seeks to ban advertisements aimed at minors which promote&nbsp;online games, cosmetics and medical treatments.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/now-chinese-cyber-regulators-to-monitor-celebrity-information-431459">Also Read:&nbsp;Now, Chinese cyber regulators to monitor celebrity information</a>

China state administration for market regulation said that advertisement standards should "meet the requirements for the establishment of socialist spiritual civilisation and the promotion of an excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation."

The Xi regime has increasingly crackdown on domestic internet companies including e-commerce giant Alibaba, tech giant Tencent and food-delivery app Meituan in the past year while bringing in new regulations.

Report claim authorities in China have asked Tencent to stop the launch of new apps as it reviews compliance regulations.

Chinese cyber watchdog had earlier launched an investigation on ride-hailing giant Didi over cybersecurity issues just days after it listed at the New York stock exchange.&nbsp;Reports now claim Chinese regulators have asked Didi to delist from the US stock exchange.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/one-year-since-jack-mas-speech-alibaba-has-lost-344-billion-report-423908">Also Read:&nbsp;One year since Jack Ma's speech, Alibaba has lost $344 billion</a>

Chinese regulators had earlier directed apps to ensure protection of personal privacy information of their users by disclosing what kind of information was being collected and to ensure that they obtain consent from their users.

(With inputs from Agencies)

China continued its crackdown on the internet directing online platforms to ensure it does not mislead users as it sought to register and review advertisers and adverts.

China continued its crackdown on the internet directing online platforms to ensure it does not mislead users as it sought to register and review advertisers and adverts. The new rules which are open for discussion till December 25 seeks to ban advertisements aimed at minors which promote online games, cosmetics and medical treatments. Also Read: Now, Chinese cyber regulators to monitor celebrity information China state administration for market regulation said that advertisement standards should "meet the requirements for the establishment of socialist spiritual civilisation and the promotion of an excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation." The Xi regime has increasingly crackdown on domestic internet companies including e-commerce giant Alibaba, tech giant Tencent and food-delivery app Meituan in the past year while bringing in new regulations. Report claim authorities in China have asked Tencent to stop the launch of new apps as it reviews compliance regulations. Chinese cyber watchdog had earlier launched an investigation on ride-hailing giant Didi over cybersecurity issues just days after it listed at the New York stock exchange. Reports now claim Chinese regulators have asked Didi to delist from the US stock exchange. Also Read: One year since Jack Ma's speech, Alibaba has lost $344 billion Chinese regulators had earlier directed apps to ensure protection of personal privacy information of their users by disclosing what kind of information was being collected and to ensure that they obtain consent from their users. (With inputs from Agencies)

Now, Chinese regulators draft online ad rules amid internet crackdown

China&nbsp;has issued draft guidelines on regulating the algorithms used by internet service providers to make recommendations to users, part of efforts to protect the privacy and data security of users, the internet regulator said on Friday.

Service providers must abide by business ethics and principles of fairness and should not set up algorithm models that entice users to spend large amounts of money or spend money in a way that may disrupt public order, the Cyberspace Administration of&nbsp;China&nbsp;said in a statement.

Algorithms should not be used to create fake user accounts and users should be given the option to easily turn off algorithm recommendation services, it said, adding that the draft is open for public feedback until September&nbsp;26.

The move comes amid a wide-ranging&nbsp;crackdown&nbsp;by Beijing on its internet sector, which has seen authorities target and punish companies on issues ranging from monopolistic behaviour to consumer privacy.

Earlier this year, the Chinese Consumer Association criticised internet companies&nbsp;for misusing personal data and "bullying" people into purchases and promotions. State media have since issued multiple calls for regulating the use of such algorithms.

Internet companies globally use algorithms to predict user preferences and make recommendations. In&nbsp;China, this would include firms such as e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, ride-hailing firm Didi Global and TikTok owner ByteDance.

China&nbsp;recently passed a data security law&nbsp;that will go into effect on September&nbsp;1 to protect internet users' rights in cyberspace and impose curbs on its fast-growing internet industry.

China has issued draft guidelines on regulating the algorithms used by internet service providers to make recommendations to users, part of efforts to protect the privacy and data security of users, the internet regulator said on Friday.

China has issued draft guidelines on regulating the algorithms used by internet service providers to make recommendations to users, part of efforts to protect the privacy and data security of users, the internet regulator said on Friday. Service providers must abide by business ethics and principles of fairness and should not set up algorithm models that entice users to spend large amounts of money or spend money in a way that may disrupt public order, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement. Algorithms should not be used to create fake user accounts and users should be given the option to easily turn off algorithm recommendation services, it said, adding that the draft is open for public feedback until September 26. The move comes amid a wide-ranging crackdown by Beijing on its internet sector, which has seen authorities target and punish companies on issues ranging from monopolistic behaviour to consumer privacy. Earlier this year, the Chinese Consumer Association criticised internet companies for misusing personal data and "bullying" people into purchases and promotions. State media have since issued multiple calls for regulating the use of such algorithms. Internet companies globally use algorithms to predict user preferences and make recommendations. In China, this would include firms such as e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, ride-hailing firm Didi Global and TikTok owner ByteDance. China recently passed a data security law that will go into effect on September 1 to protect internet users' rights in cyberspace and impose curbs on its fast-growing internet industry.

China issues draft guidelines for internet recommendation algorithms

China's&nbsp;internet&nbsp;watchdog said on Saturday that it will ban some&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;app&nbsp;notifications&nbsp;and tighten regulations as the government ramps up a campaign to rein in the growing influence of&nbsp;internet&nbsp;companies over its citizens' daily lives.

The Cyberspace Administration of&nbsp;China&nbsp;(CAC) will strengthen guidance and control of&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;app&nbsp;information sources, and&nbsp;restrict&nbsp;notification volumes as part of what it terms a "people's war" aimed at bringing order to the online environment, Xie Dengke, a CAC spokesperson told a State Council press conference.

The CAC will ban media-related&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;applications from sending&nbsp;notifications&nbsp;from independent social media accounts operating in violation of regulations, and will filter what it sees as harmful and undesirable information, Xie said.

Xie did not name specific&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;applications or social media accounts affected by the new rules.

The CAC will also work with financial regulators to "rectify" self-published financial accounts that have spread rumours, Xie said, to bring the dissemination of financial information under control.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-summons-alibaba-tencent-and-others-over-deep-fakes-internet-security-371351">China summons Alibaba, Tencent and others over 'deep fakes', internet security</a>

China&nbsp;has in recent months sought to curb the economic and social power of its once loosely regulated&nbsp;internet&nbsp;giants, in a&nbsp;clampdown&nbsp;backed by President Xi Jinping.

Greater scrutiny and strengthening of antitrust regulatory powers mirror an increasingly tough&nbsp;approach to the tech sector in the United States and Europe.

Following a "self-inspection" period to give&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;application operators an opportunity to address problems, the regulator will punish those not meeting certain requirements with penalties including fines and service suspensions, Xie said.

He did not say how long the self-inspection period would last.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/chinese-internet-watchdog-says-33-mobile-apps-broke-data-privacy-rules-382522">Chinese internet watchdog says 33 mobile apps broke data privacy rules</a>

Earlier this week, the&nbsp;internet&nbsp;watchdog found that 33&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;phone&nbsp;apps broke data privacy rules by collecting data without consent, among other issues.

China's internet watchdog said on Saturday that it will ban some mobile app notifications and tighten regulations as the government ramps up a campaign to rein in the growing influence of internet companies over its citizens' daily lives.

China's internet watchdog said on Saturday that it will ban some mobile app notifications and tighten regulations as the government ramps up a campaign to rein in the growing influence of internet companies over its citizens' daily lives. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will strengthen guidance and control of mobile app information sources, and restrict notification volumes as part of what it terms a "people's war" aimed at bringing order to the online environment, Xie Dengke, a CAC spokesperson told a State Council press conference. The CAC will ban media-related mobile applications from sending notifications from independent social media accounts operating in violation of regulations, and will filter what it sees as harmful and undesirable information, Xie said. Xie did not name specific mobile applications or social media accounts affected by the new rules. The CAC will also work with financial regulators to "rectify" self-published financial accounts that have spread rumours, Xie said, to bring the dissemination of financial information under control. Also read | China summons Alibaba, Tencent and others over 'deep fakes', internet security China has in recent months sought to curb the economic and social power of its once loosely regulated internet giants, in a clampdown backed by President Xi Jinping. Greater scrutiny and strengthening of antitrust regulatory powers mirror an increasingly tough approach to the tech sector in the United States and Europe. Following a "self-inspection" period to give mobile application operators an opportunity to address problems, the regulator will punish those not meeting certain requirements with penalties including fines and service suspensions, Xie said. He did not say how long the self-inspection period would last. Also read | Chinese internet watchdog says 33 mobile apps broke data privacy rules Earlier this week, the internet watchdog found that 33 mobile phone apps broke data privacy rules by collecting data without consent, among other issues.

China to restrict mobile app news notifications in internet clampdown

An app launched by China's Tuber by a cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360 disappeared after it gave the country’s internet users access to Facebook and Google which are banned in the Communist country.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/quantum-leap-united-states-unveils-blueprint-for-virtually-unhackable-internet-315799">Also Read:&nbsp;'Quantum' leap: United States unveils blueprint for virtually 'unhackable internet'</a>

The App also allowed Chinese citizens to legally access Youtube and Instagram photos without resorting to the illegal virtual private network(VPN). However, it disappeared from &nbsp;Huawei's app store.

China controls all access to the Internet in the country with users allowed to access only government sanctioned sites. Tuber was reportedly dowloaded five million times on Huawei’s App store.

The new app had allowed millions of Chinese to bypass the state-controlled Great Firewall. After it was launched, it required personal information from users namely names and identity card numbers even as some users complained it too slow.

Qihoo 360 is owned by China's tech tycoon Zhou Hongyi who had delisted his company from the New York stock exchange four years ago and aligned itself to China's policies. The US had earlier this year sanctioned Zhou’s two companies over national security concerns.

The US government had earlier clamped down on China's popular video-sharing app TikTok over security concerns. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said following the Trump administration's line had said that TikTok must become a "US-based company controlled by US investors".

However, China's Xi Jinping regime accused Trump of "bullying" and "abusing national power" in its bid to take over TikTok.

An app launched by China's Tuber by a cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360 disappeared after it gave the country’s internet users access to Facebook and Google which are banned in the Communist country.

An app launched by China's Tuber by a cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360 disappeared after it gave the country’s internet users access to Facebook and Google which are banned in the Communist country. Also Read: 'Quantum' leap: United States unveils blueprint for virtually 'unhackable internet' The App also allowed Chinese citizens to legally access Youtube and Instagram photos without resorting to the illegal virtual private network(VPN). However, it disappeared from Huawei's app store. China controls all access to the Internet in the country with users allowed to access only government sanctioned sites. Tuber was reportedly dowloaded five million times on Huawei’s App store. The new app had allowed millions of Chinese to bypass the state-controlled Great Firewall. After it was launched, it required personal information from users namely names and identity card numbers even as some users complained it too slow. Qihoo 360 is owned by China's tech tycoon Zhou Hongyi who had delisted his company from the New York stock exchange four years ago and aligned itself to China's policies. The US had earlier this year sanctioned Zhou’s two companies over national security concerns. The US government had earlier clamped down on China's popular video-sharing app TikTok over security concerns. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said following the Trump administration's line had said that TikTok must become a "US-based company controlled by US investors". However, China's Xi Jinping regime accused Trump of "bullying" and "abusing national power" in its bid to take over TikTok.

China's Tuber app bypasses Great Firewall, then disappears

China's regulators have banned 40 more domestic live streamers as part of efforts to curb the "illegal or irregular"activities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-targeting-us-election-infrastructure-with-cyberattacks-says-trumps-aide-319279">Also Read:&nbsp;China targeting US election infrastructure with cyberattacks, says Trump's aide</a>

The China Association of Performing Arts has already banned over 200 live streamers after blacklisting them two years ago. In a statement, the association said that it will never "tolerate pornography, vulgar content, online gambling, online fraud and other violations of national laws and regulations”.

It has also banned 48 broadcasters from live streaming for five years as President Xi Jinping tightens control over the internet in the country.&nbsp;

The country's cyber watchdog had earlier called out live streaming platforms Tencent-backed Douyu&nbsp;and Huya including Bilibili for uploading lowbrow content.

According to the Chinese live streaming report, live streaming has become the most popular video format with over 200 platforms which allows users to have "face-time" like feature and is widely used to sell products.

It is widely used in the gaming industry with apps including Panda TV, Chushou, Huya and Douyu.

China's regulators have banned 40 more domestic live streamers as part of efforts to curb the "illegal or irregular"activities amid the coronavirus pandemic. Also Read: China targeting US election infrastructure with cyberattacks, says Trump's aide The China Association of Performing Arts has already banned over 200 live streamers after blacklisting them two years ago.

China's regulators have banned 40 more domestic live streamers as part of efforts to curb the "illegal or irregular"activities amid the coronavirus pandemic. Also Read: China targeting US election infrastructure with cyberattacks, says Trump's aide The China Association of Performing Arts has already banned over 200 live streamers after blacklisting them two years ago. In a statement, the association said that it will never "tolerate pornography, vulgar content, online gambling, online fraud and other violations of national laws and regulations”. It has also banned 48 broadcasters from live streaming for five years as President Xi Jinping tightens control over the internet in the country. The country's cyber watchdog had earlier called out live streaming platforms Tencent-backed Douyu and Huya including Bilibili for uploading lowbrow content. According to the Chinese live streaming report, live streaming has become the most popular video format with over 200 platforms which allows users to have "face-time" like feature and is widely used to sell products. It is widely used in the gaming industry with apps including Panda TV, Chushou, Huya and Douyu.

China bans more live streamers in domestic crackdown on cyberspace

Universities in United Kingdom are testing a new link to teach students in China to give them a chance to complete their distance education despite the country's internet restictions.

However, students only have access to content under&nbsp;an "allowed" list while using this link.

Four Russell Group universities including King's College London, Queen Mary University of London, York and Southampton are a part of this pilot project&nbsp;run by JISC, formerly the Joint Information Systems Committee, which provides digital services for UK universities.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/students-sue-top-us-universities-over-switch-to-online-courses-297080">Students sue top US universities over switch to online courses</a>

The project would allow students in China to have better access to UK courses "while complying with local regulations", according to a spokeswoman who denied this move as an acceptance to ''censorshiop''.

It comes as British universities&nbsp;were&nbsp;urged to adopt a risk management strategy for any dealings with China amid concerns that academics are self-censoring because of fears about the consequences of offending the Chinese authorities.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-universities-cancelling-entrance-exams-for-foreign-students-298452">Chinese universities cancelling entrance exams for foreign students</a>

Some websites are blocked or filtered under China's internet censorship and there have been concerns that students in China were unable to&nbsp;study online, such as clicking on an embedded link in a scholarly article.

The technical solution creates a virtual connection between the student in China and the online network of the UK university, where the course is being taught. It has been provided free by the Chinese internet firm Alibaba Cloud.

Chinese students have become an important source of revenue for UK universities, representing almost a quarter of all overseas students.

&nbsp;

<ul>
</ul>

Universities in United Kingdom are testing a new link to teach students in China to give them a chance to complete their distance education despite the country's internet restictions.

Universities in United Kingdom are testing a new link to teach students in China to give them a chance to complete their distance education despite the country's internet restictions. However, students only have access to content under an "allowed" list while using this link. Four Russell Group universities including King's College London, Queen Mary University of London, York and Southampton are a part of this pilot project run by JISC, formerly the Joint Information Systems Committee, which provides digital services for UK universities. Also read: Students sue top US universities over switch to online courses The project would allow students in China to have better access to UK courses "while complying with local regulations", according to a spokeswoman who denied this move as an acceptance to ''censorshiop''. It comes as British universities were urged to adopt a risk management strategy for any dealings with China amid concerns that academics are self-censoring because of fears about the consequences of offending the Chinese authorities. Also read: Chinese universities cancelling entrance exams for foreign students Some websites are blocked or filtered under China's internet censorship and there have been concerns that students in China were unable to study online, such as clicking on an embedded link in a scholarly article. The technical solution creates a virtual connection between the student in China and the online network of the UK university, where the course is being taught. It has been provided free by the Chinese internet firm Alibaba Cloud. Chinese students have become an important source of revenue for UK universities, representing almost a quarter of all overseas students.

British universities complying with Chinese internet restrictions