Google Has Stopped Responding To Data Requests from Hong Kong Authorities (cnet.com) 34
Google will stop responding to requests for data from Hong Kong authorities with the search giant instead directing requests for user data to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States that is done in conjunction with the Department of Justice. From a report: The move comes after a new national security law imposed by China curbed political expression. Although Hong Kong officials have said that the law would only target a "small minority," human rights groups such as Amnesty International are concerned that police will use the new law as a way to crack down on government critics with those that are found guilty potentially facing life imprisonment. Google, Facebook and Twitter each announced in July that they were pausing the review of the Hong Kong government requests for user data to study the new law, with Google now taking the next step in stopping responding directly. "Since the new national security law was enacted in June, we have not produced data in response to new requests from Hong Kong authorities and that remains the case," a Google spokesperson tells CNET in a statement.
How about cease collecting data period? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:How about cease collecting data period? (Score:5, Insightful)
A single person seeing a license plate is a witness.
Following a person around and recording their movements is stalking.
Tracking everyone's movements all the time is a surveillance state.
Scale matters. Ban organized surveillance, now.
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A corporation telling the government what it will do and will not do, wow, that is just so criminal. Google to the Hong Kong government, you are not the government, Google is the government of Hong Kong, we tell you, you do not tell us. Google unwisely has made the Hong Kong government lose face, look pathetic, being told by one US corporation what it can do and what it can not do, how dare those Chinese issue instructions to Americans (it will be twisted so hard against google, those googlites in Hong Kong
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They track you because that's a product that they sell both directly and to advertisers.
Google has stopped responding... (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, that's been my experience for the past 5+ years...
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Hong Kong protesters taught us how to handle tear gas attacks. Plenty of productive US immigrants hail from HK.
I'm inclined to support them. They support us, and the protestors expressed their desire for democracy; as human beings, their concerns and desires matter to me, regardless of oppression from mainland China and the crackdown on autonomy.
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Re: Most Chinese Support Beijing (Score:1)
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One should also remember in the late 80s and 90s there was a mass immigration movement from HK to many western coutnries. A lot of it was to have another passport as an escape route because well, China.
You have to remember the current President of China was not present at the handover and political climate changes (see Trump). Thus what was probably something aworked back in 1997 doesn't exist now especially with the National Security Law that makes China law official in Hong Kong. The fact that many politi
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You make an excellent argument for why the civilized world should feel no pity for America as it grinds inexorably through the process of degenerating into a fascist dictatorship.
Re: Most Chinese Support Beijing (Score:2)
Re: Most Chinese Support Beijing (Score:2)
You fail to mention the backdrop: those people expected their freedoms and rights to be protected for at least 50 years. That guarantee was the sweetener for the arrangement. The British might not have given Hong Kong the level of democracy that we're used to, but they setup the rule of law that underpins the right of free speech, the right to assemble, the right to run a business and many other freedoms and rights that we take for granted. The government in Beijing is reneging on that 50 year deal less
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I think that the two sentiments: (1) a desire for reunification with greater China, and (2) a desire for living in a free and democratic society are in some respects independent (but not really, in practice). I can certainly sympathise with people who wanted the former, but didn't appreciate it meant losing the latter in the longer term.
Hong Kong was always in a less than desirable situation. As a Brit, I watched the handover in '97 with a measure of sadness, since it was the end of an era and I knew so m
One down ... (Score:2)
One down, the rest of the world to go.
It would be actual news if Google grew a pair of nutz and stopped responding to everyone unless they were presented with a lawful judge approved warrant signed by a judge having proper jurisdiction. Since meeting the requirement of having a valid warrant issued by a judge of competent jurisdiction is impossible to meet, Google should just em all to go fuck themselves.
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If they stopped responding to FBI requests without a court order, they would get the Huawei treatment from the US govt.
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no they would NOT.
they are bigger than the governemnt, now, in terms of REAL power.
thou shalt not fuck with the google. they hold ALL the info, more than even the NSA.
I hate google for so many reasons, but I'd buy a ticket to a cage fight between them and 'the gov'. the gov has no teeth and can't really harm google. the blowback would be a death sentence to any politician. and they KNOW that.
I do want google to stop supporting bad goverment (all around the world) requests. this is a good first start.
First they ignore you, then... (Score:2)
...they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
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The BIG BUT... (Score:1)
Re: The BIG BUT... (Score:1)
Is it just me or DOJ virally growing? (Score:2)
All these requests through DOJ, just after this:
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/14... [npr.org]
DOJ is seizing Iranian boats? Also still seizing cash:
https://reason.com/2018/08/06/... [reason.com]
But its the international stuff that seems new. Is this Trump upping the role of Barr/DOJ or was DOJ always involved in such international action?
China is right, and its actions reasonable. (Score:2)
The extradition law and the national security laws are quite reasonable and in line with any other country. Some of the behaviour of the protestors/rioters/terrorists is abhorrent and the perpetrators should be arrested and brought to justice... Not to mention the (alleged) murderer who started this whole thing last year.
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The extradition law and the national security laws are quite reasonable and in line with any other country. Some of the behaviour of the protestors/rioters/terrorists is abhorrent and the perpetrators should be arrested and brought to justice... Not to mention the (alleged) murderer who started this whole thing last year.
So funny that you failed to mention this National Security Law doesn’t define what constitutes colluding with foreigners; probably your posting in any foreign forums already infringe this law. Further this version of “national security Law “ secure and protect the people with power to run the country; not to protecting the countries in its best interests.
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The extradition law and the national security laws are quite reasonable and in line with any other country.
Does any country with rule of law have an extradition agreement with another country that does not follow rule of law? There is a huge difference between when law and precedent decides your fate, versus when your fate is decided on a case by case basis by government officials. In the latter case, there is no predictability, and you do not know in advance whether your actions are illegal.
Remember (Score:2)
Due to China being a fascist nation that has engaged in ethnic genocide, persecution of religious and cultural minorities, disappearances of private citizens, executing people without fair trials, and administrating death camps and lethal force against protesters, Google is complicit in the assistance of the modern day Third Reich Nazis.