In an incident that underscores the fiercely competitive nature of China’s higher education admission process, a teenager, known by the surname Xiang, tampered with the university application of a classmate, causing widespread public outrage over the seemingly lenient punishment meted out to him. Hailing from Hubei province, both Xiang and his victim, surnamed Wang, were candidates in this year’s National College Entrance Examination, or gaokao – a highly competitive exam that determines students’ university placements.
The incident came to light on July 2 when Wang discovered unauthorized changes to her online university application. Her chosen universities had been erased, replaced with disparaging phrases like “rubbish schools”. Prompted by Wang’s complaint, the police traced the offending IP addresses, which led them to Xiang. After being confronted by the police, Xiang confessed to his misdeeds the following day.
Xiang had secretly photographed Wang’s candidate number and made several attempts to guess her password before successfully infiltrating her account. Chinese news site Guancha.cn reported that Xiang’s motive for sabotaging Wang’s application was personal animosity. Fortunately, the local higher education admission office allowed Wang to rectify her application. For his transgressions, Xiang received a penalty of five days in administrative custody.
Each year, about 10 million secondary school graduates sit for the gaokao, competing fiercely for coveted spots in China’s higher education institutes. The university application process, which follows the gaokao results, is as critically important as the exam itself. Once students make their university selection, no changes are permitted post-deadline, and a second chance to choose different universities only comes with retaking the gaokao.
This incident, however, has sparked intense debate on social media platforms, with many users condemning the “too light” penalty. Calls for more robust security measures to prevent similar hacking incidents have also grown louder. In this context, Hong Daode, a professor of criminal procedure law at the China University of Political Science and Law, suggested the need to review the application system’s susceptibility to hacking. Further, netizens suggested enhancements like SMS verification and security lockouts to fortify the system against future hacks. This episode serves as a glaring reminder of the gaokao’s high-stakes nature, the need for a secure application system, and the repercussions of unethical actions.
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