Global Times

Summary

A petition website operated by a Chinese newspaper demanding an investigation into a US biological laboratory faced cyberattacks originating from US-based hackers, which the operator condemned as exposing fear among certain US interests. The servers sustained minor damage but withstood the attacks, with preparations made for potential further incidents. Over 11.4 million signatures were recorded supporting calls for the World Health Organization to probe the laboratory, linked by Chinese officials to unresolved safety concerns and unexplained respiratory outbreaks in nearby US communities. The incident was framed as reflecting public anger over perceived US political manipulation and a global demand for accountability regarding the facility's operations.

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Description

On July 24, 2021, a petition website operated by China's Global Times newspaper demanding an investigation into the US Army's Fort Detrick biological laboratory in Maryland sustained two cyberattacks originating from US-based hackers. The attackers targeted the platform shortly after it gained significant public traction, with Global Times publicly confirming the incidents in an online statement. The newspaper strongly condemned the attacks, characterizing them as an attempt to suppress Chinese internet users' right to petition. Despite the assaults, Global Times reported its servers successfully withstood the attacks with only minor operational damage. The operator acknowledged the possibility of follow-on attacks and declared its preparedness to defend the platform's functionality to preserve users' expression rights.

The petition sought World Health Organization scrutiny of Fort Detrick, which had been temporarily closed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July 2019 over safety violations involving research on pathogens like Ebola. By July 25, 2021, the campaign had garnered over 11.4 million signatures, with Global Times anticipating continued international support. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian cited the petition's rapid growth as evidence of public anger over perceived US political manipulation, linking Fort Detrick to unexplained 2019 respiratory outbreaks in Virginia and Maryland. Zhao asserted that global demands for a Fort Detrick investigation remained unanswered by US authorities. The cyberattacks occurred amid this diplomatic context, though the perpetrators' specific affiliations and attack methodologies were not disclosed in available reporting. Global Times maintained platform operations throughout the incident while publicly framing the attacks as reflective of US anxiety over the petition's expanding influence.

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