China tightens noose on govt. officials leaking secret data

Beijing, June 23 (ANI): Chinese government officials will soon be required to think twice before connecting their flash-disks loaded with State secrets into unsecured computers, as they are likely to come under tighter surveillance to prevent leaks of confidential information.

The top legislature was informed on Monday during briefings on amendments to the Law on Guarding State Secrets, that a tougher law was needed to cut access to the Internet or other public networks from secure computers, China Daily reports.

The revision is a direct result of the sharp rise of computer-linked intelligence leaks in recent years, lawmakers were told.

The draft revision was submitted to the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) for deliberation.

The draft amendments stipulate: Taking measures to protect networks containing confidential data by isolating them.

Internet and telecommunication providers reporting to the authorities when they detect messages linked to State secrets.

Having a tougher supervision mechanism to prevent sensitive information from being passed on intentionally or unintentionally.

According to research by the NPC's internal and judicial affairs committee, more than 70 percent of all cases, though most are unintentional, have been linked to computers, and the number is rising sharply each year.

The list of people involved has expanded from government officials and military officers, to accountants for State-owned enterprises, makers of armaments and staff attending closed-door government meetings.

According to the sources, incidents have surfaced of unintentional but damaging leaks by officials after they plugged flash-disks into wired computers.

"In one instance, it is believed the data was stolen in seconds and the official was removed," one source said. (ANI)