14 DAY TRIAL // China has passed a new anti-terrorism law that does not include the controversial clause that would have forced companies to install a backdoor on their devices and servers.
The new counter-terrorism law was approved this past Sunday, and while it eliminated the "backdoors" clause, it still gives the Chinese government the authority to force companies to help its agencies access encrypted messages.
According to the new law, national or international companies activating in China will have to abide by official requests coming from Chinese law enforcement and decrypt encrypted data, if it's the subject of an official investigation categorized as terrorism.
While the Beijing government has given in to pressure from companies around the world that said they would lose clients and business if they used backdoors in their products, the government is not willing to remain without any teeth when it comes to dealing with encrypted traffic and the type of dangerous communications it may hide.
The same argument is also used by the US and various European countries when it comes to promoting similar laws that will force companies to give law enforcement agencies access to their encryption keys.
China is preparing for a wave of terror attacks
Chinese officials are becoming worried about the increase in violence in China's Western territories, where a group of Islamist separatists known under the name of East Turkestan have planned and carried out various attacks, as Reuters reports.
Besides the encryption key handover procedures that the new anti-terror law includes, Chinese military forces have now gained the authority to carry out anti-terrorism actions outside the country's borders.
Additionally, the Chinese mass media will also be prohibited from reporting on any terrorist attacks, mainly to discourage similar acts.
After passing the law, government officials have said that their version does not differ from similar laws approved by other governments.