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world news Diabierna 16 Juli 2021

China says US measures on Xinjiang threaten global trade

(AP) — China’s govern- rity and stability of the global In unusually forceful lan- and materials to make solar
ment rejected U.S. ac- industrial chain and supply guage, they said Beijing car- panels from companies sus-
cusations of forced labor chain,” he said. “China firm- ries out “genocide and crimes pected of using forced labor.
in Xinjiang and accused ly opposes it.” against humanity” in Xinji-
Washington on Thursday ang including imprisonment, Beijing retaliated by an-
of hurting global trade Gao gave no indication of torture, rape, forced steriliza- nouncing unspecified pen-
after lawmakers endorsed possible Chinese retaliation. tion, forced labor and “draco- alties against American and
import curbs and Ameri- nian restrictions” on move- European officials, a Europe-
can companies were has blocked some imports, The latest measure approved ment and religion. an think tank and two Euro-
warned they face legal while Beijing has whipped up Wednesday by the U.S. Sen- pean researchers who study
risks if they do business Chinese consumer anger at ate would block imports of Chinese officials deny accu- Xinjiang.
with the region. brands that express concern goods made with forced labor sations of abuses in Xinjiang.
about possible forced labor. in Xinjiang. The bill requires They say the camps are for State TV called for a boycott
The measures add to rising approval from the House of job training and combating of Swedish retailer H&M
pressure on companies that “The so-called human rights Representatives. radicalism. after it joined other brands
buy clothing, cotton, toma- and forced labor issues in in expressing concern about
toes and other goods from Xinjiang are completely in- On Tuesday, the Commerce Washington and the Euro- reports of forced labor in
Xinjiang, where the rul- consistent with the facts,” Department and five other pean Union have imposed Xinjiang. State media have
ing Communist Party is ac- said a Ministry of Commerce agencies warned companies travel and financial sanctions publicized calls by individ-
cused of holding more than spokesman, Gao Feng. with ties to the region they on Chinese officials accused ual Chinese for boycotts of
1 million members of mostly “run a high risk” of violat- of abuses in Xinjiang. The Nike, Adidas, Uniqlo and
Muslim ethnic groups in de- “The U.S. approach has seri- ing U.S. laws against forced United States has blocked other global shoe and cloth-
tention camps. Washington ously undermined the secu- labor. imports of cotton, tomatoes ing brands.

India internet law adds to fears over online speech, privacy

(AP) — It began in Feb- him. easier for the government to government has also worked vacy and security concerns
ruary with a tweet by pop order social media platforms closely with the social me- comes amid a global push for
star Rihanna that sparked On Wednesday, the com- with over 5 million users to dia giant to allow Indians more data transparency and
widespread condemna- pany released a transparency take down content that is to use Twitter to seek help localization, said Kolla, the
tion of Indian Prime report showing India had deemed unlawful. Individu- from government ministries, tech expert.
Minister Narendra Mo- submitted most government als now can request that com- particularly during health
di’s handling of massive information requests -- le- panies remove material. If a emergencies. Bharatiya Jana- Germany requires social me-
farmer protests near the gal demands for account in- government ministry flags ta Party’s social media team dia companies to devote local
capital, souring an already formation -- to Twitter. It content as illegal or harmful has meanwhile been accused staff and data storage to curb-
troubled relationship be- accounted for a quarter of it must be removed within 36 of initiating online attacks ing hate speech. Countries
tween the government worldwide requests in July- hours. Noncompliance could against critics of Modi. like Vietnam and Pakistan are
and Twitter. December last year. lead to criminal prosecutions. drafting legislation similar to
Still, earlier internet restric- India’s. In Turkey, social me-
Moving to contain the back- It was the first time since Tech companies also must tions had already prompted dia companies complied with
lash, officials hit Twitter with Twitter started publishing the assign staff to answer com- the Washington-based Free- a broad mandate for remov-
multiple injunctions to block report in 2012 that the U.S. plaints from users, respond dom House to list India, the ing content only after they
hundreds of tweets critical was displaced as the “top to government requests and world’s most populous de- were fined and faced threats
of the government. Twitter global requester,” it added. ensure overall compliance mocracy, as “partly free” in- to their ad revenues.
complied with some and re- with the rules. stead of “free” in its annual
sisted others. “India’s plans for the inter- analysis. Instead of leaving, some com-
net appear to be like that of Twitter missed a three-month panies are fighting the new
Relations between Twitter a closed ecosystem like Chi- deadline in May, drawing a The law announced in Feb- rules in the courts, where at
and Modi’s government have na,” said Raheel Khursheed, strong rebuke from the Delhi ruary requires tech compa- least 13 legal challenges have
gone downhill ever since. co-founder of Laminar Glob- High Court. Last week, after nies to aid police investiga- been filed by news publish-
al and Twitter India’s former months of haggling with the tions and help identify peo- ers, media associations and
At the heart of the standoff is head of Politics, Policy and government, it appointed all ple who post “mischievous individuals. But such cases
a sweeping internet law that Government. “Twitter’s case three officers as required. information.” That means can stretch for months or
puts digital platforms like is the basis of a touchstone on messages must be traceable, even years.
Twitter and Facebook under how the future of the inter- Apar Gupta, executive direc- and experts say this it could
direct government oversight. net will be shaped in India.” tor of the Internet Freedom mean end-to-end encryption Mishi Choudhary, a technol-
Officials say the rules are Foundation, says he worries would not be allowed in In- ogy lawyer and founder of In-
needed to quell misinforma- Tech companies are facing the rules will lead to numer- dia. dia’s Software Freedom Law
tion and hate speech and to similar challenges in many ous cases against internet Center, says that under the
give users more power to flag countries. China has been platforms and deter people Facebook’s WhatsApp, which rules, social media platforms
objectionable content. aggressively tightening con- from using them freely, lead- has more than 500 million might lose their safe harbor
trols on access to its 1.4 bil- ing to self-censorship. Many users in India, has sued the protection, which shields
Critics of the law worry it lion-strong market, which is other critics say Modi’s Hin- government, saying breaking them from legal liability
may lead to outright cen- already largely sequestered by du nationalist government encryption, which continues over user-generated content.
sorship in a country where the Communist Party’s Great is imposing what they call a for now, would “severely un- Courts have to decide that on
digital freedoms have been Firewall and by U.S. trade climate of “digital authori- dermine the privacy of bil- a case-by-case basis, she said.
shrinking since Modi took and technology sanctions. tarianism.” lions of people who commu- And their legal costs would
office in 2014. nicate digitally.” inevitably soar.
India is another heavyweight, The government insists the
Police have raided Twitter’s with 900 million users ex- rules will benefit and em- Officials say they only want “You know how it is in India.
offices and have accused its pected by 2025. power Indians. to trace messages that incite The process is the punish-
India chief, Manish Mahesh- violence or threatening na- ment,” Choudhary said. “And
wari, of spreading “commu- The new rules, in the works Despite the antagonisms be- tional security. WhatsApp until we get to a place where
nal hatred” and “hurting the for years and announced in tween Modi and Twitter, says it can’t selectively do the courts will actually come
sentiments of Indians.” Last February, apply to social me- he has been an enthusiastic that. and tell us what the legal po-
week, Maheshwari refused to dia companies, streaming user of the platform in build- sition is and determine those
submit to questioning unless platforms and digital news ing popular support for his The backlash over online legal positions, it is open sea-
police promised not to arrest publishers. They make it Bharatiya Janata Party. His freedom of expression, pri- son for tech backlash.”