US tech firms ask China to postpone 'intrusive' rules | Hacker News Reader

US tech firms ask China to postpone 'intrusive' rules

bbc.co.uk

10 pointsriaface10 comments

This is basically backlash. Same with the visa hassles. Right now, if you want to deploy Huawei gear in your western internet infrastructure provider, the government encourages you strongly not to. This is China giving the US the finger, ie. equal treatment. Pot, kettle, black.

The requirement to add backdoors is bad, although there doesn't seem to be too much information about that, so not sure what it involves exactly.

I have no problem with the requirement to see the source code to check for other people's backdoors. You don't want your source code to be cloned by China? Tough. You shouldn't even be doing business in China if that worries you so much. But many choose to do it anyway, because they know the rewards can be so much greater than the risk of being copied.

In a way however i sincerely doubt any company would just hand their Sorce Code over to the Chinese.

They will just pirate the hell out of it if they do so what will happen is companies will start making things specifically for the Chinese market or stop selling to China completely.

I don't think Chinese politicians realize how much hidden code there is in modern technology.

I often quip the best thing we could do to defer competition is to hand over our source code. This mess would set anyone back 5 years.

Won't these rules apply to all Western companies?

That may be true, but not matter what you say and how little I trust my own government based on what I know, I trust the Chinese government far less in spite of a fare more shallow understanding.

Why?

- Because your government is "better"? (for some definition of "better")

- Because you expect that it will protect the interests of its citizens?

- Any other reason?

If I recall correctly, when the shoe was on the other foot and Chinese IT companies (Huwawei) wanted to bid on US contracts the US government just flat refused to allow them. Given that history this isn't so surprising.

I would really like to hear Richard Stallman's take on this.

Can we see this as an advancement in the use of free software? (free as in freedom)

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