ETH Zurich earns criticism for new rules on counterintelligence
Published: Tuesday, Nov 5th 2024, 11:30
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ETH Zurich has clarified the rules for preventing espionage. Chinese students are among those affected. The university's approach has been criticized.
According to a report in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper on Tuesday, the new admission rules announced by ETH Zurich at the end of October have caused uncertainty and criticism among Chinese students. Last week, the news platform "Nau.ch" had already reported on anonymous posters at ETH accusing the university of racist behavior in this context.
In online forums, Chinese students expressed fears that they would generally no longer be admitted to university. At the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency, the ETH Zurich media office stated that the clarified rules were not aimed at Chinese students. Students and employees who are already at ETH are also not affected.
The new provisions on compliance with export control and sanctions regulations concern a number of countries against which the UN, the USA or the EU have imposed sanctions. The aim is to prevent students or employees from these countries from spying on military or dual-use technologies at ETH.
In future, a security check will therefore be required for admission to a Master's degree course, a doctorate, a professorship or a guest residency. If there are several indications of an increased risk of espionage, the application must be rejected.
©Keystone/SDA
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