Government calls on residents not to violate mainland cyber law

During Sunday’s public consultation of the cyber security law, the government’s representatives suggested that local residents ought not to talk about certain topics on WeChat in order to avoid a possible violation of mainland China’s cyber security law.

Lei Kuong Leong, head of the department of information and technology development of the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau (CTT), in response to a resident’s question about whether Whatsapp and WeChat will be regulated by Macau’s law, said that currently, the two applications might not be regulated locally as they are non-local in origin.

Chan Si Cheng, head of the computer forensic office of the Judiciary Police (PJ), said that Macau’s cyber security law does not involve regulations on online information and content however, she noted that mainland China has related policies and that everybody should therefore be responsible for their own words.

Chan reminded residents that talking “nonsense” on Wechat might violate mainland’s cyber security law.

The consultation was attended by approximately 60 residents, and at it, the government spent nearly one hour introducing the draft law.

Several residents expressed their opinions on the matter. The Consultant of the Office of the Secretary for Security, Chan Hin Chi, said that some residents’ opinions are not objective.

Chan pointed out that the government will only check data, and that the future law will have no relation whatsoever with freedom of speech and privacy.

Some residents accused the law of violating the regulations of the basic law which rules that Macau residents’ communication freedom and privacy should be protected by the law. Upon this accusation, Chan repeated his aforementioned statement.

According to Chan, the Light Railway Transit (LRT) will be included in this law, as LRT concerns public transportation.