China monitoring Skype messages

Researchers in Canada have discovered that Skype’s Chinese venture with Tom Online, called Tom-Skype, is filtering text chats and monitoring them. Chats are routinely scanned for politically censored keywords. If any are found, those chats and personal information are stored on insecure and publiclly accessible servers. They are encrypted, but the key needed to decrypt them is stored right alongside them!

Their report, called “Breaching Trust: An analysis of surveillance and security practices on China’s Tom-Skype platform,” stops short of implicating the Chinese government, but does suggest that Tom-Skype is cooperating with them. The filter appears to scan for usernames and certain keywords relating to Taiwan independence, the Falun Gong, and any political opposition of the government.