30 Chinese tech companies hand over the algorithms to the Beijing government

30 big ones compagnie tech Chinese they have handed the proprietary algorithms to the Chinese government, adding to a growing list of companies in China. Among these: Ali Baba, Tencent e Weibo. The order comes from the Cyberspace Administration of China, which officially wants to block technological services that make users spend too much time and money. But which some commentators see as a attempt to manage propaganda in the digital space.

Chinese tech companies hand over proprietary algorithms to the government in China

On the list of companies that have recently handed over their proprietary algorithms to the government are companies like NetEase, Weibo, Baidu, Tencent e Alibaba. But there are dozens of companies, from search engines to content platforms.

Although the request comes for “security” issues regarding the possibility of exploiting users, stealing too much time and money, many commentators think it is needed for “Management of public opinion” by the Communist Party of China.

I social media on Meta (WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram) as well as the parent company of Google Alphabet have discussed the matter in court, arguing rightly that algorithms are trade secrets. So they declined to hand them over to the Chinese agency.

Some analysts think that these algorithms could be used by the Chinese government to investigate the opinions of the population. This will allow, according to the professor Ye Yaoyuan to Radio Free Asia, of “follow people over time using these algorithms “. Especially by evaluating those who do not have the same ideological convictions and have Western sympathies.

This news could have lasting impacts in China by increasing state surveillance of the population, according to many Western experts. We will keep you updated on the developments of the affair.