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How China Spied on the African Union’s Computers

mg.co.za

21–30 of 49 posts

Re: How China Spied on the African Union’s Computers

#21

Why don't the reporter reveal more details about the "strange peak in data usage"? The news could be less lame if published from a non-formal-colonizer country.

The investigation, in French:

https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/01/26/a-addis-ab...

Re: How China Spied on the African Union’s Computers

#23
post #4

>China built and paid for the African Union’s computer network I guess the old saying applies, "if you aren't paying for it, you are the product."

No wonder the US pressured Verizon to stop selling Huawei phones completely. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-30/verizon-i... I can feel the tensions between the West and China heating up notch by notch now.. It's a bit uncomfortable. I even feel a personal dampening on what I will say publicly about China on social media, just because of hypothetical tech/travel opportunities, and I don't even live th…

They're also attempting to take control of the local operations of foreign companies in China:

"American and European companies involved in joint ventures with state-owned Chinese firms have been asked in recent months to give internal Communist Party cells an explicit role in decision-making"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/command-an...

"Late last month, executives from more than a dozen top European companies in China met in Beijing to discuss their concerns about the growing role of the ruling Communist Party in the local operations of foreign firms"

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-congress-companies/...

Re: How China Spied on the African Union’s Computers

#24
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China also built the UK government network hopefully the UK, the end result is also likely similar despite the UK paying quite a bit for it. On the works here is for China to build the next generation of nuclear reactors in the UK let’s see how will that turn out.

And the phone in your pocket storing some of your most sensitive data is most likely built in China.

Most likely not. For example, half of all Samsung phones are now made in Vietnam. China is gradually losing all of Samsung's business. The same will ultimately hold true for Apple. Ten years from now, the only companies that will still be making smartphones in China, will be their domestic brands.

http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/english/news/industry/8785-sa...

Re: How China Spied on the African Union’s Computers

#25

I'd tear down the whole building; as I'd be very surprised if the walls weren't full of bugs as well, similar to the American Embassy case. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/15/world/the-bugged-embassy-c...

China also helped building headquarter for Vietnam Ministry of Public Safety http://mapio.net/pic/p-57003656/ The rumour is that this build is full of bugs in the walls and everywhere, so that the Ministry is still using their old building, the new one is only for unimportant paperwork.

welcome to world politics -

US sold a Boeing 767 to China which was planned to be used by the Chinese President as the official jet, as expected, it is full of bugs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1...

Australia put bugs in the newly constructed Chinese embassy in Australia's capital back in 1995.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-08/the-chinese-embassy-bu...

Re: How China Spied on the African Union’s Computers

#26
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China also helped building headquarter for Vietnam Ministry of Public Safety http://mapio.net/pic/p-57003656/ The rumour is that this build is full of bugs in the walls and everywhere, so that the Ministry is still using their old building, the new one is only for unimportant paperwork.

welcome to world politics - US sold a Boeing 767 to China which was planned to be used by the Chinese President as the official jet, as expected, it is full of bugs. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1... Australia put bugs in the newly constructed Chinese embassy in Australia's capital back in 1995. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-08/the-chinese-embassy-bu...

Idea for political trolling: just once, sell the other country a jet or whatever without a single bug, and laugh as they desperately tear it apart, trying to uncover something.

Re: How China Spied on the African Union’s Computers

#27

When will Africa realise that they have to learn to look out for themselves because no-one else will? They declined Europe's "offer" (though realistically Europe really didn't have anything to offer its colonies after being devastated by WWII), but where they that much better off under Soviet influence and are they that much better off under China? It's time they started working towards real independence instead of a…

Well that's exactly what the African Union is for. The poverty trap right now is: 1) Loan from the IMF 2) Restructure your debt = privatization = loss of sovereignty and control 3) Repeat The hope is that through a regional central bank, regional investment bank and a regional monetary fund they can break away from the shackles of predatory psycopaths like the IMF and the World Bank. I personally think this will not…

The AU seems likely to be a in better spot, in part because it is built on regional "pillars" and a lot of separate organizations, so even if the AU itself for some reason were to fail, it is already having massive impact. E.g. ECOWAS covers 15 countries and ~350 million in West Africa. SADC covers 16 states in Southern Africa etc. COMESA acts as a superset of SADC and EAC, providing a free trade area covering 400m+ people in Southern and Eastern Africa, and so on.

A number of monetary unions have started coalescing the currencies of he continent, as well, so even if the progress towards a single African currency were to fail, that too is still having an impact.

Re: How China Spied on the African Union’s Computers

#28
post #22

Seems such a small gain with potentially huge downside with African countries distancing themselves from China. And so sloppily done too...

OTOH this may be also seen as evidence that China treats African countries as serious partners - if they didn't, they wouldn't bother with spying.
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