China requires PCs to come with anti-porn software

[Twister]

China requires PCs to come with anti-porn software
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING


China is requiring personal computers sold in the country to carry software that blocks online pornography and other Web sites, potentially giving one of the world's most sophisticated censorship regimes even more control over the Internet.

The software's developer said Monday the tool would give parents more oversight by preventing computers from accessing sites with pornographic pictures or language. Jinhui Computer System Engineering Co., which won a government contract to develop the "Green Dam-Youth Escort" filtering software, was compiling a database of sites to block.

Although porn sites are initially targeted, the software could be used to block other Web sites, too, including those based on keywords rather than specific Web addresses.

Parents can also add their own sites to the blocking list, Zhang Chenmin, general manager of Jinhui, told The Associated Press.

"If a father doesn't want his son to be exposed to content related to basketball or drugs, he can block all Web sites related to those things," Zhang said.

 

[papasmerf]

No need for us to demand they take on our values is there?

 

[to-guy69]

Where there is a will there is a way..it will be undone in no time at all

 

[ig-88]

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others

 

[Twister]

Maybe they don't want people getting too horny and reproducing , they have enough population issues.....

 

[koxinga]

i was in china last year. terb was not blocked. neither were some of the agencies. actually it sorta depended on where i was and there's no hard rule. it may work at some internet cafe, it may not. or sometimes i can access it from the hostel. who knows?

 

[wet_suit_one]

Thank God I live in a free country where I can enjoy my porn to my heart's content!

Yay Canada! The true land of the free (American's don't really believe in sexual freedom as we all know...).

 

[landscaper]

with the number of people pirating software in China how long do you think it will be before some designs a hack

 

[WoodPeckr]

RED China Plays Hardball Still

China defends screening software

By Michael Bristow | BBC News, Beijing
Tuesday, 9 June 2009 12:22 UK


Every new computer in China will have the software installed


China has defended the use of new screening software that has to be installed on all computers.

Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the software would filter out pornographic or violent material.

Critics have complained that it could also be used to stop Chinese internet users searching for politically sensitive information.

But Mr Qin, speaking at a regular press briefing, said China promoted the healthy development of the internet.

All computers sold in China - even those that are imported - will have to be pre-installed with the "Green Dam Youth Escort" software.

'Poisoned minds'

The news came in a directive from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the new regulations will come into force on 1 July.

The directive says the newest version of the software has to be pre-installed on Chinese-made computers before they leave the factory.

Imported computers must contain the software before they are sold.


The aim is to build a healthy and harmonious online environment that does not poison young people's minds, according to the directive.

Mr Qin defended the move on Tuesday: "The purpose of this is to effectively manage harmful material for the public and prevent it from being spread," he said.

"The Chinese government pushes forward the healthy development of the internet. But it lawfully manages the internet," he added.

The Chinese government regularly restricts access to certain internet sites and information it deems sensitive.

The BBC's Chinese language website and video sharing website Youtube are currently inaccessible in Beijing.

Critics fear this new software could be used by the government to enhance its internet censorship system, known as the Great Firewall of China.

But a spokesman for one of the companies that developed the software, Jinhui Computer System Engineering, rejected this accusation.

"It's a sheer commercial activity, having nothing to do with the government," Zhang Chenmin, the company's general manager, told the state-approved Global Times newspaper.

 

[onthebottom]

This will no doubt create a cottage industry of shops that will reload your PC with a pirated version of Windows without this software.... perhaps this is China's stimulus package?

OTB

 

[WoodPeckr]

This will no doubt create a cottage industry of shops that will reload your PC with a pirated version of Windows without this software.... perhaps this is China's stimulus package?

OTB

Depends how deeply they embed this SW into MS.
Wonder if it will be put on Macs also?
Running Linux may be another way around that SW.

 

[Berlin]

Although porn sites are initially targeted, the software could be used to block other Web sites, too, including those based on keywords rather than specific Web addresses.

A whole new level of censorship...

IMO China is much more interested in blocking the later than porn. But porn ? How convenient


For damn sure the users will find ways around it.