By enacting a new cybersecurity law , China is tightening the noose on Internet freedoms, which gives the government control over online infrastructure and critical data, with all that this entails.
China's legislative system recently passed a new national cybersecurity law ,covering a wide range of areas, including military defense, food safety, and the technology sector.
The full text of the new law, which has not yet been officially released, calls for greater cybersecurity, according to a report by the country's state news agency, Xinhua. Under the law, the country's key information systems will be made secure and controllable.
Previous bills did not detail exactly what this control meant.
Earlier this year, the country's anti-terrorism legislation raised concerns that it could require American technology companies to hand over encryption keys to the government. Obama weighed in on the situation and asked China to change its laws.
In recent years, however, China has made cybersecurity one of its priorities, following the security leaks that came to light with Edward Snowden's revelations that claimed the US was secretly spying on Chinese companies.
The Chinese government has even stated that it intends to "block" the sales of IT products in the country if they fail to secure a rising "vetting system".
The policy changes in Chinalikely won't bode well for American technology companies, especially those that supply IT products to the government or state-owned enterprises. Analysts say China already heavily censors its Internet, blocking access to many American sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Google.
However, he announced that the new laws follow the standards of other Western countries for improving online security.
