China really doesn’t like Windows 8. Not only has it supposedly banned certain government agencies from using the operating system, it’s now resorting to using scare tactics in its local media, running a news report that questions its security.

A one and a half minute segment ran on China’s CCTV News channel reports that government officials are concerned Windows 8 could be insecure, and are stepping up their own efforts to develop a rival operating system.

Yang Min, a professor at China’s Fudan University, told CCTV News that Microsoft was refusing to open the source code for Windows 8 to the Chinese government. Moreover, he said that Windows 8’s security is designed in such a way that Microsoft has better access to user’s files.

“For China, it’s a big challenge for our cybersecurity,” stated Yang Min.

“Your identity, account, contact book, phone numbers, all this data can be put together for big data analysis,” said another academic, Ni Guangnam. “The US has a law that requires anyone that has this data to report to the government. The data might be a good way for the US to monitor other countries.”

CCTV’s report comes just a couple of weeks after China said it would ban Windows 8 from being used on some public sector PCs. Some believe that China’s anti-Microsoft campaign is just one thrust in a wider war on American tech that could impact US firm’s looking to do business in the country. But while China argues that security is its main concern, western analysts beg to differ.

“It has little to do about security or privacy,” said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, in an interview with ComputerWorld. “Windows 8 is astronomically more secure than Windows XP. and while it’s true that Windows 8, like any operating system, saves data like contacts in an address book and favorites in the browser, it’s on a purely optional basis.”

The report comes in light of recent news that China is stepping up efforts to create its own alternative OS. Back in March 2013, China announced a partnership with Canonical to develop and support Ubuntu Kylin, a Chinese language variant of the world’s most popular Linux distro. What with authorities now trying to scare users away from Windows 8, don’t be surprised if China starts seeing an increase in open-source installations on its PCs.

“Analysts say the Chinese government’s decision, along with the growing demand for information consumption in China, gives local IT companies a great opportunity to obtain funding and develop more appealing IT products,” the report’s presenter goes on to say.

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