China could restrict the use of file-sharing tools like AirDrop and Bluetooth, to prevent the spread of “undesirable” information.
The proposal comes following file-sharing by protesters, who have used the tools to share political messages and mobilise.
Both AirDrop and Bluetooth allow smartphone users to share images and messages with other phones nearby without revealing their identity, bypassing China’s strict censorship rules.
In November 2022, Apple implemented an AirDrop restriction that capped the time users could receive files from people outside their contacts list.
Following a 10-minute window, iPhones would revert to a mode that only allows them to receive files from contacts.
At the time, Apple said the change was aimed at curbing the spread of unwanted messages sent with AirDrop, and that it would be rolling out the changes globally.
Now, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator, has launched a month-long public consultation on the proposal to further restrict file-sharing tools, in order to “prevent and resist the production, copying and distribution of undesirable information”.
“The authorities are desperate to plug loopholes on the Internet to silence opposing voices,” human rights activist Lin Shengliang told the BBC, “This is China moving towards 1984.”
The proposed rules would require service providers to prevent the spread of “illegal or harmful” information and share data with regulators and the police.
Users of the tools would also have to register with their real names and would be able to block certain contacts from sending files.
The proposed rules would also require similar tools to face security assessments before being introduced to the public.
App developers who hope to continue operating in China will have to follow the new rules –should they pass– or have their apps removed from the store, as reported by the BBC.
