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The Battle for Net Neutrality Seems a Lost Cause in China
Article

The Battle for Net Neutrality Seems a Lost Cause in China

Let's Discuss Just How Little We Know About Net Neutrality by Looking at Tencent and China Unicom's "King Card"

PingWest, 2017

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Editorial Rating

8

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  • Eye Opening
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Recommendation

Net neutrality, debated for years in the United States, has now reached China’s Internet shoreline. Guang Pu, editor for tech media company PingWest, explains how Chinese tech giant Tencent’s partnership with Internet provider China Unicom is threatening the existence of net neutrality. He implores the public to take a stronger interest in the subject but, ironically, his appeal for net neutrality comes at a time when China doesn’t even allow an open Internet. getAbstract recommends this article to economists, social activists, people working in tech start-ups and corporations, and anyone interested in protecting Internet equality.

Summary

Net neutrality – the principle that Internet service providers and government regulations must treat all data the same – is under threat in China. Internet giant Tencent and state-owned Internet service provider China Unicom have joined forces to offer consumers the King Card – the latest move in a series of partnerships between telecommunication and tech companies. The King Card gives customers unlimited, free data when using any Tencent app, including WeChat, QQ, Tencent Video, News, QQ Music, the hit game Kings of Glory, and many more. Users pay a base fee of ¥19 [$2.87] per month and a recurring charge of ¥1 [15 cents] for 500MB of data per day toward non-Tencent apps; in other words, it’s dirt cheap. China Unicom has signed similar agreements – albeit with varied data allowances and prices – with Sina Weibo, Xiami Music, JD...

About the Author

Guang Pu is an editor and writer for PingWest, a Chinese media company specializing in tech and online culture.