Web Tracking with Chinese Characteristics: A Critical Perspective on the Emerging Online Surveillance Market in China

• In Event: 197 - Section on Communication and Information Technologies Paper Session. Open Topic on Communication and Information Technologies

Abstract

Though many used to predict the marketization of the Internet in China would undermine the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and facilitate the process of democratization, one of the most mind-bending puzzles for China observers is that CCP still rules while the Internet blooms. Some attribute this seemingly beguiling equilibrium to Chinese government's ability to orchestrate highly effective Internet censorship on one hand, and Chinese Internet Services Providers (ISPs)'s inability to challenge the surveillance scheme on the other. Current trends cast doubt on this argument. Internet companies in China have localized web-tracking technologies and perfected surveillance as a business model, resulting in what we call "web tracking with Chinese characteristics". In order to determine the nature of these unique characteristics, we have empirically examined the current development of the web surveillance market in China by analyzing the presence of web tracking technologies on the most popular Chinese and US websites. Our findings indicate that while there is actually more surveillance in the US, Chinese companies are implementing the same technologies as their Western counterparts. Another focus of our study is the role of Chinese government in the emerging surveillance market. Relying on a database of government procurement records, we were able to identify corporations who supply web surveillance services to government agencies. These findings show that market forces have accelerated both commercial and political surveillance in China. We conclude with a discussion on the significance of our discoveries as well as proposals for future areas of research.

Authors

• Bo Mai, University of Pennsylvania

• Tim Libert, University of Pennsylvania