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China's New Censorship Software a Potential "Large-Scale Disaster"

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China's new Green Dam Youth Escort web filtering software is a potential security risk

The Chinese government is requiring all PC makers selling into the China market to bundle Green Dam Youth Escort web filtering software as of July 1, as we reported earlier this week. This software, already widely used in China's schools and elsewhere, has plenty of flaws, BBC News reports:

  • Unencrypted connections between client PCs and the company's servers, which could lead to information theft or the PCs being turned into botnet nodes for malware attacks
  • Filtering only Internet Explorer browsers, not Firefox
  • Support only for Microsoft Windows
  • Inaccurate web site blocking
  • Potential privacy risks for users because the software logs all web pages the user attemps to access

Right now, it seems as if Green Dam Youth Escort is incapable of meeting its specified goals of "healthy development of the internet" and "effectively manag[ing] harmful material for the public and prevent it from being spread," while providing a terrific opportunity for malware providers. Have you encountered similar problems with web filtering software? Hit Comment to sound off. 

COMMENTS
avatar" Inaccurate web site

"

  • Inaccurate web site blocking (pictures of pigs blocked, but not pictures of African women)"
  • So is the BCC saying that African women should be blocked?

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    avatar" Inaccurate web site

    "

  • Inaccurate web site blocking (pictures of pigs blocked, but not pictures of African women)"
  • So is the BCC saying that African women should be blocked?

    Login or register to post comments
    avatar" Inaccurate web site

    "

  • Inaccurate web site blocking (pictures of pigs blocked, but not pictures of African women)"
  • So is the BCC saying that African women should be blocked?

    Login or register to post comments
    avatarIf somebody can read Chinese

    I am chinese, I used to live in US for 8 years.

    If anyone here can read chinese, you can try to search that Green Dam with goole in Chinese, then you will find so many website-Chinese website, blogs, personal space...talking about this crap software. From those links, I finaly understand what that software looks like: An uptight grandpa alarmandy eatching his children grown-up without his monitoring, and he is so scared because the children are so smart, so active, so...

    Not only this software, before this happen, Chinese already block so many website outside China include youtube. Sometimes I like to check some video online, then youtube cann't be display. Back to March, still ok. another thing, there is a IM software called UC-Unlimited Communication owned by SINA China, they have IE based online chatting room, but when you login, all the website been blocked in that room including Microsoft, you only allowed use website belong to SINA, funny?

    By this time, the Green Dam is under control by the government, meaning Chinese people has no choice to use that crap, only option is user bring the computer back and reformat HDD then install an illegal copy of Windows. I just did search online, so many people talking about this software is so hard to uninstall, you don't even find it in remove/add programs, it placed in c:\windows\system32 folder. SAD.....

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    avatarAnything to make it more expensive for U.S. companies

    So U.S. companies who sell computers in China will have to do an extra step in order to sell their computers in China?  That adds cost and indirectly affects the U.S. customer of those companies.  Unless the U.S. companies can isolate their China costs from the U.S. costs, the U.S. customer is going to be paying more for those computers.  What is the market share of U.S. made computers in China?  Is is worth it?  Meanwhile, we're buying China's products making them stinkin rich!

    "China doesn't have to go to war with the U.S.  They just have to ruin them financially."

     

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    avatar considering Green crap is

     considering Green crap is required to be installed on computers LEAVING china as well i expect a number of production house will pack up and move. The legal ramification of having sofhwere bundingin your new dell runnin in the US (especially goverment and civic posts) with a key logger acessable for a forign gorment will...not go over well....

     

    ------------------------------
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    avatarPitiful. The US should cut

    Pitiful. The US should cut off all trade and diplomatic relations with China until they decide to join the free world.

    Oh, wait. They make everything we buy and we're in hock to them up to our eyeballs. Never mind.

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    avatarcannot do that.  We are in

    cannot do that.  We are in so much debt with China.  We have gotten pretty much all our bailout money from them.  So just cutting them off would piss them off and we would be history.

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    avatarI'm waiting for China to

    I'm waiting for China to forcibly install a lead-painted toxic plastic physical component that destroys the CPU if removed, and that harwires all of this so it cannot be so easily circumvented.

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    avatar com on we all know this is

     com on we all know this is just China's excuse to (poorly) control information.

    ------------------------------
    Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
    Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.

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