China and those of us in the west are engaged in another war of words. This time, it's regarding freedom in cyberspace. Specifically, the uproar is about GhostNet. The Chinese are essentially arguing that this is to protect national security/interests. Most of us in the west, however, regard this as an infringement on people's basic rights.

The title of this CNN article is "China analysts dismiss cyber-espionage claim". OK the key question that we must ask, again is: are the experts in this report doing this willingly or out of fear or even under state supervision?

So what is the all the uproar about? "Computers -- including machines at NATO, governments and embassies -- are infected with software that lets attackers gain complete control of them, cyber-security experts alleged in two reports Sunday". It sure sounds like China is doing this deliberately. Why are they accusing the rest of the world of bad-mouthing them and meddling in their business? They are doing the same thing

According to Song Xiaojun, a Beijing-based military analyst speaking to the China Daily, a state-run newspaper, "This is purely another political issue that the West is trying to exaggerate". Is "the West" 'exaggerating' or is China covering something up? The latter is much more likely.

There are 2 reports on this controversial issue. The first was issued by the Universitgy of Toronto International Studies Department, along with the SecDev Group and the second report was issued by Cambridge University.

The software to combat 'cyber-spying' has been playfully called "GhostNet". According to CNN, "The network can not only search a computer but also see and hear a person using it". This is sounding increasingly like an infringement on people's basic rights to access information and speak freely.

Specifically, the Canadian report says "GhostNet is capable of taking full control of infected computers, including searching and downloading specific files, and covertly operating attached devices, including microphones and web cameras". This sounds like something that Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang would do.

Another important question is: what specific question/issue is GhostNet aiming for? Tibet, even though this issue occurred back in 2008. According to CNN, "The Dalai Lama told CNN (that) he did not know who was behind the hacking,but (that) there should be an investigation".

Specifically, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader told CNN's Sara Sidner that China "as a great nation...has a (certain sort of) social responsibility and moral responsibility. Now, in order to utilize that opportunity, China should - (in fact, they) must - bring trust from (the) rest of the world. Then, China really can make (a) positive contribution". China has this rigid idea that friends are always friends and foes are always foes. They don't think about the possibility that even enemies can give us good ideas from time to time and even if they don't, they should be respected, even though we may disagree vehemently with their ideas.

In addition, the Dalai said that "In spite (of being a) very big nation, they act like a very weak nation...all sorts of spying...I think that is very, very unfortunate".

According to the Canadian report, entitled "Tracking GhostNet: Investigating a Cyber-Espionage Network", "Chinese cyber espionage is a major global concern... but attributing all Chinese malware to deliberate or targeted intelligence gathering operations by the Chinese state is wrong and misleading". Not all of these Chinese 'anti-snooping' measures are "deliberate" or "targeted", but most of them are.

In addition, according to the report, "The sheer number of digital natives online can more than account for the increase in Chinese malware". More Chinese are evaluating their own government openly now, mainly by posting comments/analyses in cyberspace.

How did these 'cyber-police/authorities' access people's personal computer records? According to the Cambridge University report entitled "The snooping dragon: social-malware surveillance of the Tibetan movement", "Hackers gained access to computers in the Dalai Lama's office by tricking computer users into downloading attachments in e-mail which had been carefully engineered to appear safe", when in fact they were not. This is a form of deception, which would be illegal in every country...except in China.

According to the Cambridge University study's authors, Shashir Nagaraja and Ross Anderson, "The attackers TOOK THE TROUBLE TO write e-mails that appeared to come from fellow Tibetans and indeed from co-workers" and "THEY ALSO STOLE MAIL IN TRANSIT AND REPLACED THE (clean/uncorrupted) ATTACHMENTS WITH TOXIC ONES". So, this is not only a political issue, it is also a legal and ethical issue. The bottom line is: government officials are also people and therefore, they also have to follow laws and regulations. The fact that they are government officials does not (and should not) exempt them from these requirements.