Does it seem like this programme could give US authorities the power to sanction the Chinese government over something like a DDoS attack?
EDIT: Ah, looks like GitHub is back to normal. Maybe the attacks are over now?
The US can identify these companies and sanction them, which is something they should have done long ago. If you don't want sanctions, don't attack our infrastructure or citizens. Autocratic one party states need to be reminded that we won't stand for this shit any longer. What China did to Github is inexcusable and deserves a response.
How do you know it was China? An IP address does not mean the person sitting behind the computer is Chinese. The person could just as easily be controlling a botnet from a VPN while sipping a latte in a coffee shop in Palo Alto.
Only the Great Firewall (or the website owners, ie. government-controlled Baidu) can possibly do that.
http://www.netresec.com/?month=2015-03&page=blog&post=china%...
Github arguably operates in China by offering their website there. At the same time Github is refusing to meet demands by the Chinese government. Their refusal to meet those demands directly undermines policy enacted by the Chinese government. Now the Chinese government tried using their power to enforce their policy decisions.
I'm not saying it's right, but it doesn't seem that different from what's the norm these days. The only difference between China and powerful western countries is the kind of policy they enforce (censorship, not copyright protection or nuclear arms treaties etc).