At a glance.
- China's response to Exchange Server attack attribution.
- Child protection and content moderation.
- US Administration proposes closer public-private cooperation against foreign cyber threats.
Beijing’s lengthy response to Exchange Server hack attribution.
The Tennessee Tribune summarizes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s rebuke of China’s “pattern of irresponsible, disruptive, and destabilizing behavior in cyberspace,” which shamed the CCP for deploying criminals to the tune of “billions of dollars in stolen intellectual property, ransom payments, and cybersecurity mitigation efforts.” Blinken also emphasized Washington’s international work to “promote responsible state behavior in cyberspace, counter cybercrime, and oppose digital authoritarianism.”
The Global Times has Beijing’s long-winded reply to the “groundless accusations” and “attempt to contain China.” The “far-fetched evidence” and “so-called technical details” presented by the US, the Times argues, represent the “typical trick of a thief crying ‘stop thief,’” and obscure Washington’s long history of cyber “malfeasance.” This history runs the gamut from hoarding zero-days and snooping on Beijing’s breakthroughs to Stuxnet and the Merkel scandal.
The Times warns that President Biden’s “ceaseless efforts to form an anti-China chorus,” (in addition to “confusing right and wrong”), could drag relations “to a new low.” In particular, the CCP is concerned about NATO’s involvement, which for the first time “introduce[es] a military alliance into cyberspace” and risks launching a cyber “arms race.” President Biden needs to lay off the “hacker blame,” the piece says, along with all of his rallying of folks around Hong Kong, Xinjiang, the South China Sea, vaccines, climate, and so forth.
For the kids, Beijing style.
The Register describes the Cyberspace Administration of China’s (CAC) "Summer Youth Network Environment Improvement," a fine-enforced, “zero tolerance” directive that aims to mop up China’s Internet for children’s sake. Platforms must bolster their “youth modes” and “anti-addiction systems” in addition to scrubbing consumerism, celebrity worship, violence, crime, indecency, bullying, and marketing from the mouths of babes. CAC recently issued other orders on emoticons, data harvesting, and decorum. A translation of the directive urges platforms to “vigorously rectify the chaos of online problems that endanger the physical and mental health of minors.”
Big Tech isn’t so crazy about this public-private cooperation on security.
Foreign Policy says big business bucks Biden Administration ‘outreach’ on cybersecurity because big business’ consumer base covers Beijing. Unlike firms in Russia and China, US companies prefer to maintain plausible autonomy from the state. There’s been some recent give and take, however. Microsoft stepped up to the plate over the Exchange Server hack, for which President Biden has thus far declined to sanction China, despite offering direct attribution to Ministry of State Security affiliates. (Foreign Policy casts this as a bone for business.) The Administration plans to meet with industry leaders in late August to map out further avenues of collaboration.