Chinese move to certify IT security imports miffs US

THE GLORIOUS People's Republic of China has decided to really miff the US government by insisting foreign security technology be submitted to the government for approval.

US security outfits have been falling over themselves to get into China, but it seems that the Chinese want to know what they are up to. Rules due to take effect on May 1 will require that hardware and software used to secure company data networks and email systems is certified by Chinese authorities.

Although the Chinese mandarins have not said how much information the security companies will have to disclose, the move is bound to sail up the nasal passages of Washington officials. Security software is one of the few things that the US can sell to China.

AP reports that the regulations cover 13 types of hardware and software. These apparently include database and network security systems, secure routers, data backup and recovery and anti-spam and anti-hacking software.

The move is probably less about trade and more to do with the fact that the People's Republic really does not like people keeping stuff secret. If material is encrypted they may have trouble finding out what people are saying about them. µ

L'INQ
AP