Beijing to hire army of internet censors Financial Times <<<::: b="" c="" d="" i="" kinh="" n="" net="" qu="" theo="" thu="">>>
The city of Beijing is planning to hire thousands of internet censors in a fresh sign of the authorities’ attempts to tighten their grip on cyberspace.
The city will seek to employ at least 10,000 “internet volunteers” before the end of this year to monitor “harmful” websites and content, said an official at the municipal authority’s
Chinese local governments and Communist party branches often pay web commentators to influence online opinion. But it is unusual for officials to admit the practice and the big recruitment drive gives a rare view of the resources China uses to try to control the internet.
The move comes amid an outcry over the national government’s attempt to ensure that every new personal computer sold in China is equipped with web filtering software.
The ministry of industry and information technology notified computer makers last month that they would be required from July 1 to include Green Dam/Youth Escort – a programme developed under commission by the government – with every new PC.
Information technology industry organisations have appealed to China to drop the initiative. Testing by independent software engineers has found that besides protecting children from pornographic content, Green Dam is also capable of filtering and blocking political content, and carries serious security risks for those who install it.
Beijing’s policy has also created legal worries among foreign PC makers.
Solid Oak, a Californian software company that sells Cybersitter, a programme allowing parents to block pornographic and violent content when their children use the internet, says Green Dam infringes its intellectual property rights.
It says it sent “cease and desist” letters to Hewlett-Packard and Dell on Monday, warning them they would face damages claims if they installed Green Dam.
Brian Milburn, Solid Oak chief executive, said Chinese groups opposed to Beijing’s move had offered assistance in taking legal action in the country. “If our code is being used to censor a country, we stand up to things like that,” he said. His company was considering whether such action was feasible.
“If we can’t stop [HP and Dell from shipping], I guess the only way to resolve this would be an interim licensing agreement,” he said.
International concerns over Beijing’s move have been matched by an outcry among Chinese internet users. After initially reporting criticism of Green Dam, the state media have toned down coverage following an appeal by propaganda officials to concentrate on “positive” reporting.
Bloggers have taken a creative approach in their mockery of the censors. They have created “Green Dam Girl”, a woman drawn in the style of Japanese porn manga, wearing a police cap emblazoned with a crab, a pun on the Chinese word for “harmonious”, the government’s euphemism for a society without unrest, controversy or opposition.
The city will seek to employ at least 10,000 “internet volunteers” before the end of this year to monitor “harmful” websites and content, said an official at the municipal authority’s
Chinese local governments and Communist party branches often pay web commentators to influence online opinion. But it is unusual for officials to admit the practice and the big recruitment drive gives a rare view of the resources China uses to try to control the internet.
The move comes amid an outcry over the national government’s attempt to ensure that every new personal computer sold in China is equipped with web filtering software.
The ministry of industry and information technology notified computer makers last month that they would be required from July 1 to include Green Dam/Youth Escort – a programme developed under commission by the government – with every new PC.
Information technology industry organisations have appealed to China to drop the initiative. Testing by independent software engineers has found that besides protecting children from pornographic content, Green Dam is also capable of filtering and blocking political content, and carries serious security risks for those who install it.
Beijing’s policy has also created legal worries among foreign PC makers.
Solid Oak, a Californian software company that sells Cybersitter, a programme allowing parents to block pornographic and violent content when their children use the internet, says Green Dam infringes its intellectual property rights.
It says it sent “cease and desist” letters to Hewlett-Packard and Dell on Monday, warning them they would face damages claims if they installed Green Dam.
Brian Milburn, Solid Oak chief executive, said Chinese groups opposed to Beijing’s move had offered assistance in taking legal action in the country. “If our code is being used to censor a country, we stand up to things like that,” he said. His company was considering whether such action was feasible.
“If we can’t stop [HP and Dell from shipping], I guess the only way to resolve this would be an interim licensing agreement,” he said.
International concerns over Beijing’s move have been matched by an outcry among Chinese internet users. After initially reporting criticism of Green Dam, the state media have toned down coverage following an appeal by propaganda officials to concentrate on “positive” reporting.
Bloggers have taken a creative approach in their mockery of the censors. They have created “Green Dam Girl”, a woman drawn in the style of Japanese porn manga, wearing a police cap emblazoned with a crab, a pun on the Chinese word for “harmonious”, the government’s euphemism for a society without unrest, controversy or opposition.
