[freehaven-dev] [Fwd: chinese net censorship]

["Michael J. Freedman" <mfreed@zeroknowledge.com>]

> China Shuts Down Dissident Web
>             Forum
>             By Joe McDonald
>             Associated Press Writer
> 
>             BEIJING (AP) - The first dissident Web site in China
>             has been shut down and police are hunting for its
>             organizers, a human rights group and the firm that
>             hosted the site said Tuesday.
> 
>             Officials said the site, called the New Culture Forum,
>             posted "counterrevolutionary content," according to the
>             New York-based group, Human Rights in China.
> 
>             The group described the site, which it said was run by
>             veteran pro-democracy activists, as the first of its kind in
>             China. Other dissident Web sites are based abroad,
>             often in the United States.
> 
>             The incident highlighted anew the conflict faced by
>             Chinese leaders, who are promoting the Web's
>             economic benefits while trying to block its use in
>             spreading opposition to Communist Party rule.
> 
>             The Ministry of State Security ordered the New Culture
>             Forum shut down last Thursday, saying its content was
>             "too sharp and anti-government," said Li Tao, manager
>             of Million Network Co. in Beijing. He said authorities
>             had not decided on a penalty for the company, which
>             provides Web sites for private customers.
> 
>             Li said police asked who set up the site, but he had no
>             details besides the customer's name, Xin Wenming.
>             The name sounds like "new culture" in Chinese.
> 
>             Government computer-monitoring offices in Beijing and
>             the eastern province of Shandong, where Human Rights
>             in China said the site organizers live, declined
>             comment.
> 
>             Chinese officials monitor Web sites and try to block
>             access to foreign news and politically oriented sites.
>             Many computer users say they have found ways to
>             evade such barriers.
> 
>             Last month, a Chinese computer entrepreneur was
>             charged with subversion for posting articles on his Web
>             site about the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy
>             protests. That site used a U.S.-based server.
> 
>             Security officials appear to be struggling to keep up with
>             the proliferation of Chinese Web sites, often hosted by
>             private service firms. The number of Chinese online is
>             doubling every six months, and reached 14.9 million in
>             June, according to the government.
> 
>             In addition, many online service firms don't monitor their
>             customers closely, creating an opening for political
>             activists.
> 
>             Li of the Million Network Co. said police had ordered
>             his firm to improve supervision of its Web sites and
>             clients. He said it promised to report any "suspicious
>             activity" in the future.
> 
>             The crackdown on the New Culture Forum comes amid
>             stepped-up efforts to control Web activity. The
>             government has created an agency to monitor online
>             news, and police are creating special units to patrol the
>             Web.
> 
>             At least 20 Chinese cities and provinces are creating
>             Web police units to fight fraud and other online crime,
>             the state-run Beijing Morning Post said Tuesday.
> 
>             The newspaper did not mention political activity. But it
>             said police would combat online pornography, and
>             political material usually is targeted in Chinese
>             anti-smut crackdowns.
> 
>             In the eastern province of Anhui, police have helped
>             banks tighten security and spread warnings of computer
>             viruses, the newspaper said.
> 
> 

-- 
"Not all those who wander are lost."      mfreed@zeroknowledge.com