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China is using technology to track its own citizens, but also to wield power beyond its borders, the report warns.
A United States report accuses China of “digital authoritarianism,” using technology not only to track its own citizens but to wield power beyond its borders.
He warns that China’s growing influence in the digital sphere could soon overshadow that of the United States and other democracies.
And it expresses its concern over its export of surveillance technology.
The United States has pressured other countries to ban Huawei from its mobile networks.
And it’s also considering a broader ban on other Chinese tech companies like TikTok.
Relations between the US and China are strained, not only because of the role of Chinese tech companies but also because of the coronavirus pandemic and more general trade between the two nations.
New security rules in Hong Kong and evidence suggesting ill-treatment of the Uighur population have raised general concerns about China’s role in global politics.
The report, commissioned by Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, warns that China could rewrite Internet rules unless the US and its allies reject it.
“The United States is now on a precipice of losing the future of cyber dominance to China,” the report says.
“If China continues to refine the tools of digital authoritarianism and is able to effectively implement them both at home and abroad, then China, not the United States and its allies, will shape the digital environment.”
He warns that Beijing has already invested heavily in digital surveillance technology that it has exported to countries like Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, many of the world’s largest technology platforms, Google, Twitter, and Facebook, are banned within China.
The report recommends that the United States government:
- establishes an academy of cyber military service
- forms a coalition of countries to counter China
- creates a digital rights promotion fund to reject the use of mass surveillance in China
Leslie Vinjamuri, an expert at the Chatham House think tank, said it was a “significant” report suggesting that Democrats would be tough on China if the party took power after the 2020 elections.
“This is a sign of where the Democrats are headed and suggests a compelling set of policies that will put more pressure on Europe to follow the United States in this,” he said.
“This has been a long time coming, and is basically a call to arms for the United States to protect not only itself and its technology companies, but to lead a campaign for all democracies. If they can get a coordinated strategy, that is a more serious threat to China. “
He added that offering alternatives to companies like Huawei was a “smart move if you want to keep China.”
