What do Solid Oak Software's CyberSitter  and China's Green Dam Youth Escort Internet filtering programs have in common? According to the BBC, the answer is CyberSitter code. The BBC reports that both Solid Oak's Brian Milburn and a report from the University of Michigan conclude that the developer of Green Dam Youth Escort, Computer System Engineering Inc, have incorporated code from CyberSitter into Green Dam - without a license.

According to the China Daily, Solid Oak is sending "cease and desist" letters to HP and Dell to stop shipping computers bundled with Green Dam, and may seek legal action against the developers. The legal-technical drama is being played out against the background of China's requirement that all new systems sold as of July 1 include Green Dam, as we reported last week.

Green Dam now appears to be taking steps to clean up its act. Version 3.174 of Green Dam has been modified from earlier versions, according to an updated report from the University of Michigan dated today (June 18th). The new version does not use blacklist files from CyberSitter and makes other changes to help improve security, although the researchers conclude the software is still vulnerable to attacks. Stay tuned to MaximumPC.com for more in the continuing saga of Green Dam.

Image adapted from Wikimedia Commons image.