[iwar] [fc:China.Increases.Censorship.of.Internet]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2002-08-02 07:55:35

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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2002 07:55:35 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [iwar] [fc:China.Increases.Censorship.of.Internet]
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China Increases Censorship of Internet 
     Friday, Aug. 2, 2002 

SHANGHAI, China - Strict new rules on Internet publishing in China went
into effect Thursday.  Authorities moved to silence dissent and
political criticism ahead of this year's 16th Communist Party Congress,
when an entire generation of leaders will step down. 

The new regulations, a copy of which was obtained by United Press
International, ban material that "threatens national unity, divulges
state secrets or fuels ethnic hatred or discrimination."

Electronic versions of published books, newspapers, periodicals, and
audio and video products, as well as original literature, art, and
material related to science and technology, social sciences and
engineering, are listed in the government circular as subject to close
scrutiny by authorities. 

Internet publishers caught disobeying the guidelines will have to pay
hefty fines or be shut down. 

'Civilized' Censorship

A spokesman for the Ministry of Information Technology, who gave only
his surname, Chen, said the rules were created because Internet portals
were caught disobeying previous laws on content.  The government wants
people to use the Internet "in a civilized manner," he said. 

"Some Internet service providers have been hosting Web sites that carry
content which is contrary to the government's regulations," Chen said. 
"We plan to get tough with violators this time around."

The move comes amid a major crackdown on Internet cafes and a voluntary
pledge signed by at least 130 Internet companies in March to cooperate
with authorities in censoring online content.  Beijing intensified its
crackdown on Web cafes after a deadly fire killed 25 people in the
capital last month.  Critics claim the government is using the incident
to limit online access. 

Authorities have ordered Internet cafes to install software that can
block 500,000 blacklisted, overseas Web sites and track the movements of
surfers who attempt to access them. 

Tool for Dissent

The Internet has become an increasingly powerful medium for political
dissent and discourse in China, the world's second-largest online
community with nearly 50 million Web users.  Chinese-language Web sites
have bloomed over the past few years.  Efforts to control the content of
what is published have met with limited success. 

Officials from the Public Security Bureau have been carrying out
inspections of Internet service providers, as well as foreign companies
and news organizations.  For example, officials paid a visit to the
Shanghai bureau of United Press International on Wednesday.  They wanted
to know if the news agency, headquartered in Washington, was using local
servers to publish news on China. 

Industry sources said the nationwide crackdown was meant to curb
discussion of sensitive political issues while Beijing worked out the
final details of leadership changes for the congress. 

"The Communist Party views the Internet as a threat to its hold on
power," said Peter Cheung, an Internet consultant in Hong Kong.  "The
new rules indicate they're very concerned about it."

Copyright 2002 by United Press International. 

All rights reserved. 

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