Thursday, June 19, 2008

Chinese Accused of Hacking

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, a Virginia Republican, said his office computers had been compromised in August 2006 and that he was told by the FBI and other officials the source of the attack was inside China.

Rep. Christopher Smith, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said his computer had also been attacked from China.

"Is there any evidence? Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular news conference in Beijing. "... China is still a developing country. Does that mean we have already mastered such high-end technology? Personally I' don't believe that."

Wolf said the computers that were targeted contained sensitive information about human rights in China, while Smith, a New Jersey Republican, said he had "every reason to believe" the Chinese government was to blame.

"I'd like to advise some people in the U.S. not to be overly suspicious and not to make sensational remarks all the time," Qin said. "They should rather do more things that help China-U.S. friendship and understanding."

New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith was a lead advocate for human rights and a free internet when Google launched their tailor-made censor site, Google.cn. At the time, Rep. Smith said, “These are not victimless crimes…We need to stand with the oppressed, not the oppressors.”

Smith also proposed legislation to stop Google and other American tech companies from helping totalitarian governments like China crack down on the internet.

Read it all here and here.

No comments: