The Administration for Cybersecurity yesterday issued cybersecurity and privacy guidelines for Taiwanese who plan to travel to China during the Lunar New Year holiday.
National security legislation passed by Beijing in the past decade and the prevalence of surveillance tools in the country have made using electronics, and connecting to networks and USB ports, in China unsafe, the agency said in a statement.
Travelers are advised to use a domestic service provider for cellphone data roaming and enable data encryption instead of Chinese SIM cards or eSIM services, it said.
Photo: Reuters
Government workers should keep their devices on flight mode and only engage data roaming when absolutely necessary to avoid being tracked by GPS or their device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity number, it said.
Travelers should avoid using public Wi-Fi, which can be unsecure and are often vulnerable to cyberattacks, it said.
Chinese SIM cards and eSIM services should be avoided as real-name registration enables Chinese security services to monitor users’ social media posts, texts and whereabouts, the agency said.
It recommended that Taiwanese visiting China prepare their own power banks, as public USB chargers are often infected by malware.
Government workers should ensure that no work-related information is stored on their personal devices and reset any cellphone, laptop or computer that had been left unattended or inspected by Chinese officials, the agency said.
In addition, they should not use devices in China to work or communicate with work-related contacts, it said.
Taiwanese should not download any applications deployed in China, as they could access the device’s built-in camera and microphone to surveil the user, the agency said, adding that installing Chinese apps on government devices is forbidden by law.
People should not purchase Chinese devices in general, or buy any devices in China, as they could be compromised by backdoors and malware before being packaged for sale, it said.
Taiwanese should take the cybersecurity risks into consideration before deciding to travel to China, and government workers must follow official cybersecurity guidelines, it added.
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