China plans new rules to regulate file sharing services like Airdrop and Bluetooth

China is planning to restrict and scrutinise the use of wireless filesharing services between mobile devices, such as airdrop and Bluetooth, after they were used by protesters to evade censorship and spread protest messages.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s top internet regulator, has released draft regulations on “close-range mesh network services” and launched a month-long public consultation on Tuesday.

Under the proposed rules, service providers would have to prevent the dissemination of harmful and illegal information, save relevant records and report their discovery to regulators, reports The Guardian.

Service providers would also have to provide data and technical assistance to the relevant authorities, including internet regulators and the police, when they conduct inspections. Users must also register with their real names.

In addition, features and technologies that have the capability to mobilise public opinion must undergo a security assessment before they could be introduced.

“The new draft regulations would bring airdrop and similar services firmly into China’s online content control apparatus,” Tom Nunlist, a senior analyst at the consulting firm Trivium China, told the Guardian.

Google’s Android and other Chinese phone manufacturers, such as Xiaomi and Oppo, also offer similar functions that are compatible among their own devices.