China has now forbidden the members of its armed forces from using smartwatches and other wearables.
Recently, China put a new regulation into place that has banned the members of its armed forces from being able to use wearable technology in the form of any connected device that can be worn on the body.
This, according to several reports that have been made by official sources in the country.
For example, the official military newspaper in China, the People’s Liberation Army Daily (PLA Daily), explained that after one military recruit received a birthday gift that consisted of a smartwatch, there have been concerns that have been steadily voiced about the security issues that could be linked to the use of this type of wearable technology. Now NBC has reported that its own sources have confirmed that a ban has been created and that it has now been put into place.
The PLA Daily story pointed out that the wearable technology had been used to take pictures, which raised alarm.
In the PLA Daily report, the Chinese national agency responsible for the protection of state secrets also produced a statement about the incident and decreed the following: “The use of wearables with internet access, location information, and voice-calling functions should be considered a violation of confidential regulations when used by military personnel.”
PLA Daily has also reported that the military has already produced teaching materials as well as lists of warning signs that are circulating among military personnel to ensure that they know what they’re looking for in order to spot the use of wearable technology, and what the regulations are in terms of complying with the ban.