China silences social media critic of cybersecurity ID plan

TLDR:

• Law professor Lao Dongyan silenced on social media after criticizing China’s cybersecurity ID system
• Online attacks on Lao compared to Cultural Revolution’s big character posters

A prominent Chinese law professor, Lao Dongyan from Tsinghua University, has been muted on social media for 90 days after criticizing plans for a national cybersecurity ID system. Lao compared the online attacks she received to the big character posters used during the Cultural Revolution. She raised objections to the digital ID plan released by the Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration, stating that it would lead to a monitoring of everyone’s online activities and questioned its legal basis. Lao has been a vocal critic on various issues such as facial recognition technology, Covid-19 restrictions, and gender inequality. Supporters of the cybersecurity plan labeled Lao as a “traitor” and praised the proposed cyber ID as a “secret key” for Chinese internet users. Lao’s Weibo account was wiped clean in 2022 but she was able to post again after the Communist Party’s National Congress.