China's army of for-profit hackers

+ Mexico elects first female president US Edition - Today's top story: China turns to private hackers as it cracks down on online activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary [View in browser]( US Edition | 3 June 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [When poverty and dissent are deemed ‘public disorder’]( - [Democracy, online groups and my mom’s garden club]( - [Celeste the lizard returns to Jamaica after 170 years]( Lead story Every year, in the days leading up to June 4, Chinese censors scour the internet in an attempt to suppress any domestic mention of Tiananmen Square. Dissidents trying to use that date – the anniversary of the 1989 massacre – to promote pro-democracy activism are confronted by blocked sites, banned words and even disappearing candle emojis. They also experience an uptick in malicious cyber operations. While much of this is done in the shadows, a recent restructuring of China’s cyber workforce and a documents leak reveal a hacking ecosystem in which government officials and commercial operators are [increasingly working hand in hand](, explains Christopher K. Tong, a China expert at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. While turning to hackers-for-profit has its drawbacks for officials – those involved have their own motivations that sometimes go beyond official policy – it does help spread the reach of China’s cyber operations, he notes. “In short, Beijing is outsourcing its cyber operations to a patchwork army of private-sector hackers who offer their services out of a mix of nationalism and profit,” writes Tong. [ [Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter.]( ] Matt Williams Senior International Editor Hackers-for-profit are assisting the Chinese government. Bill Hinton Photography via Getty Images [China turns to private hackers as it cracks down on online activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary]( Christopher K. Tong, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Beijing’s cyber operations are largely conducted in the shadows. But a recent leak has shed light on how the state is working with private companies to target online activism. Environment + Energy - [Returning a 170-year-old preserved lizard to Jamaica is a step toward redressing colonial harms]( Alex A. Moulton, Hunter College; Thera Edwards, The University of the West Indies Not all reparations involve money. Returning unique scientific resources is also a way of showing respect and righting past harms. International - [Mexico has elected its first female president. Claudia Sheinbaum inherits a polarized, violent country looking for hope]( Luis Gómez Romero, University of Wollongong What can Mexico expect from the former mayor of the capital after an historic election? Politics + Society - [Yes, Donald Trump has a point about political prosecution]( Ronald Sievert, Texas A&M University A former government prosecutor examines the choice to prosecute a polarizing former president. - [12 New Yorkers convicted Trump − but he never fully fit in to New York City]( Lincoln Mitchell, Columbia University Trump was the first US president from New York City since Teddy Roosevelt, but he was never a hometown hero. City residents celebrated after Biden’s win and again after Trump’s conviction. - [Anti-abortion rights activists navigate a new, post-Roe landscape, as state bans mean they can ‘save babies’]( Anne Whitesell, Miami University While anti-abortion rights activists have lobbied politicians to enforce trigger laws in some states, these advocates have not faced opposition in other places. - [School boards, long locally focused and nonpartisan, get dragged into the national political culture wars]( Kathleen Knight Abowitz, Miami University A tradition of nonpartisanship on locally elected school boards is changing, following a national shift toward divisive political partisanship. Arts + Culture - [Who gets to decide what counts as ‘disorder’?]( Jess Reia, University of Virginia Framing dissent and poverty as a menace to public order can threaten fundamental rights, particularly when it’s used to justify the deployment of predictive technology. Health + Medicine - [Prenatal supplements fall woefully short in providing crucial nutrition during pregnancy – and most women don’t even know it]( Mary Scourboutakos, Eastern Virginia Medical School Many prenatal supplements don’t have enough folate, choline and omega-3 fatty acids. Science + Technology - [Why the future of democracy could depend on your group chats]( Nathan Schneider, University of Colorado Boulder Americans associate with each other more online than off these days. How people interact in digital communities could have a big impact on democracy. - [Why do astronomers look for signs of life on other planets based on what life is like on Earth?]( Cole Mathis, Arizona State University It’s hard to look for something you’ve never seen before – and that might not even exist. But you have to start somewhere. Education - [Perception of campus police is more negative among students from minority groups]( Christopher R. Dennison, University at Buffalo; Jessica Finkeldey, State University of New York at Fredonia; Nicholas Tucker Reyes, University at Buffalo Prior encounters with police didn’t negatively affect student views of campus police, but perceptions varied among students from different ethnic and racial groups and LGBTQ+ students. Economy + Business - [Online shoppers behave differently after chatting with staff of the opposite gender, new research shows – here’s why businesses should be paying attention]( Yoonseock Son, University of Notre Dame; Angela Aerry Choi, Sungkyunkwan University; Corey Angst, University of Notre Dame; Kaitlin Wowak, University of Notre Dame Not even online shopping is free from gender bias. Trending on site - [Is collapse of the Atlantic Ocean circulation really imminent? Icebergs’ history reveals some clues]( - [Does the US have a planned economy? You might be surprised]( - [Trump’s prosecution is unprecedented in US – but other countries have prosecuted former leaders]( Author Comments 💬 "The literature shows that the healthiest individuals use a combination of tech/social media and in-person engagement. However, the way the US has been set up doesn’t always lend itself so well to building community … large sprawling cities, cities with no center, etc. etc. I’ve been traveling over the last two years and one common theme from Chicago to St Louis and lands beyond is that our cities are struggling. I had thought, because of where I live, that it was a rural thing, but no it’s an everywhere thing. We truly are in a loneliness epidemic.” – Author Christopher T. Conner on the story [What QAnon supporters, butthole sunners and New Age spiritualists have in common]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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