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China Demands All New PCs Include Censorship Software

Posted 06/09/09 at 06:30:01 PM  by Mark Edward Soper

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China moves to strengthen its "Great Firewall" by requiring website-blocking software on all new PCs sold in China as of July 1, 2009

The Chinese government takes the threat of unfettered Internet access seriously. China's "Great Firewall" blocked access to reports about the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tianamen Square massacre last week. Although some users bypassed the blocks by using proxy servers, China's upped the ante: The Australian reports that China is requiring that all new PCs sold in China starting July 1st must include website blocking software developed in China.

The software's Chinese name is "Green Dam-Youth Escort". The word "green" in Chinese is used to describe web-surfing free from pornography and other illicit content.

The software was developed by Jinhui Computer System Engineering, with input from Beijing Dazheng Human Language Technology Academy. Both companies have ties to China's military and its security ministry. Jinhui says Green Dam operates similarly to software in other countries designed to let parents block access to web content inappropriate for children.

Foreign industry officials who have examined Green Dam say that personal information could be transmitted through the software and that it will be difficult for users to tell what exactly is being blocked.

Green Dam-Youth Escort can be preinstalled on systems sold in China, or be bundled with systems sold there. Although the developer states that the software contains a password-based parental bypass feature and can be uninstalled, one wonders if China will allow web access if the software is not active. Will the biggest PC vendors in the Chinese market (second only to the US market in sales last year) push back against this requirement, or will July 1st see the "Great Firewall" become even harder to crack? Hit Comment to post your feedback.

Image adapted from Wikimedia Commons image.
COMMENTS:10
TAGS: Software, Internet, china, censorship, web, website blocking, Green Dam-Youth Escort, Great Firewall of China
COMMENTS
avatarbose headphones

Submitted by bose2009 on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 5:21pm

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avatarlolz

Submitted by eitolafatee on Thu, 06/18/2009 - 8:06am

I heard that this program was super easy to circumvent. From what I heard, all you have to do is reinstall an operating system that doesn't have the program. And just how the hell do they intend to supervise this? How will they check all computers in china? 

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avatarNothing New Here

Submitted by DrMD on Wed, 06/10/2009 - 8:35am

Didn't China pretty much do the same thing during the Olympics, their leaders have a serious fear of losing control of their better than the average citizen's lifestyle and nothing is blocked on the leaders PCs, why would it be?

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avatarLets hope all computers

Submitted by jtrpop on Wed, 06/10/2009 - 7:28am

Lets hope all computers being imported from China don't have this.  This is just wrong.  Any manufacturer that supports this is supporting communism.

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avatarCommie Basterds

Submitted by Seana7a7 on Wed, 06/10/2009 - 12:58am

There's only three real sports Football, Baseball and KILLING COMMUNISTS. 

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avatarWhat the hell happened to

Submitted by DravenX on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 11:13pm

What the hell happened to this thing called "freedom."  The world leaders believe that they should block every little thing.  What kind of life are we leaving for the next generations to come?

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avatarChildren?  China already

Submitted by nebulaz on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 9:55pm

Children?  China already took care of them, now only the kittens are left. 

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avatarHello Kitta, aww isn't she

Submitted by nekollx on Wed, 06/10/2009 - 8:25am

Hello Kitta, aww isn't she cute...

 

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avatarHow long until Germany

Submitted by Cache on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 3:58pm

How long until Germany institutes the same thing so they can block violent web games that might otherwise incite unholy violence unknown since the time of Otto the Great? 

Why won't anyone think of the children??

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avatarWelcome to the World Wide

Submitted by nekollx on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 3:57pm

Welcome to the World Wide Comu-net

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Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.

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