China is addressing the growing global concerns and pushback against Chinese tech companies with a set of new data security standards. The country has announced (via CNBC) a new global initiative that outlines principles urging participants to respect other governments’ sovereignty in how they handle data.
In the last year, Chinese tech firms that have gone viral overseas such as TikTok and PUBG Mobile have been accused of unlawfully siphoning up user data and sharing it with the Chinese government. While China has repeatedly denied these accusations, it’s hoping to explicitly put such concerns to rest with this new global security initiative. It’s not a law, however, and only the tech companies that sign up for it will be required to follow the principles.
The new data initiative advises companies not to install “backdoors in their products and services to illegally obtain users’ data, control or manipulate users’ systems and devices” and calls for a ban on activities that “infringe upon personal information.” Further, it asks all countries to handle data security in a “comprehensive, objective, and evidence-based manner.”
We’ve reached out to TikTok and other affected companies like Tencent, which owns PUBG Mobile and WeChat, and Huawei for a comment and we’ll update the story when we hear back.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Washington’s crackdown on TikTok and Huawei “blatant acts of bullying” and added: “Bent on unilateral acts, a certain country keeps making groundless accusations against others in the name of ‘clean’ network and used security as a pretext to prey on enterprises of other countries who have a competitive edge.”
Last month, the United States unveiled the Clean Network program that seeks to keep the American ecosystem of tech services and products such as app stores and network carriers free of companies that have Chinese roots. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said it’s a “comprehensive approach to safeguarding the nation’s assets including citizens’ privacy and companies’ most sensitive information from aggressive intrusions by malign actors, such as the Chinese Communist Party.”
China recently also updated its tech export law to cover “recommendation of personalized information services based on data.” The amendment is reported to have further complicated TikTok’s U.S. sale.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.