Info transparency best way to dispel doubt
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Google said Wednesday that hackers based in China targeted the Gmail accounts of US senior officials, military personnel, journalists and Chinese political activists. This is the second time the Internet giant has pointed to Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, as being the source of cyber-attacks.
Such allegations lacking evidence clearly pollute China's image. That China keeps silent about its own experiences as a victim of cyber intrusion from abroad makes it worse.
If Google is serious about phishing committed from China, it needs to finish the story, such as how the company detected and traced the hackers and how it verified their identity. It is not surprising that an Internet service giant like Google encounters tons of clandestine intrusions by unknown hackers all over the world.
The company has to provide further information if it chooses to point the finger at China.
There is a basic consensus among cyber-security experts that only low-level hackers get caught. It is quite easy to veil or mask IP addresses nowadays, and professional hackers can only be traced with great difficulty. Hackers may connect through several countries to mask their own identities. Even if a hacker is based in China, he is not necessarily a perpetrator in the pay of Chinese authorities.
Google has witnessed a shrinking market share here over the past mon ths. Announcing cyber-attacks from China is probably just part of Google's game with the Chinese government.
In terms of hacker technology, China has lagged behind the West for over a decade. The nation is a major victim of Internet invasions. Each day, it detects many cyber attacks initiated abroad.
Some Chinese officials' computers were once hacked by acts from abroad which led to the leakage of confidential information. It is a pity that China keeps silent while Google and some foreign politicians frequently rebuke China.
Lacking information transparency is undermining China's own interests. Staying silent and low-key seems to be a default strategy, especially when dealing with sensitive issues. While world players are vying for attention and power, silence is usually seen as acquiescence, and those unused to setting their own agenda can become very passive in the global arena. As a nation that upholds low-key diplomacy, China has been described as a "big, bad" power.
It takes time to achieve information transparency. However, China should firmly aim in this direction. It is natural that a power as big as China makes a few mistakes and has some flaws.
However, China's overall goal and approach to achieve this is decent. China should learn to gradually open up some archive files and current national affairs.
This is not only the mainstream trend in the Internet era, but also the only direction that China should take in its future political growth.
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