China Forces Websites To Register

Rodrigo Strauss writes "The Inquirer has the story that individual owners of websites and blogs must register with the government or face a shut-down. Apparently they will begin monitoring of all sites, both commercial and personal, beginning this month. Site owners have until the end of the month to register. The BBC has the story as well." From the BBC article: "'The internet has profited many people but it also has brought many problems, such as sex, violence and feudal superstitions and other harmful information that has seriously poisoned people's spirits,' said a statement on the MII website, explaining why the new rules were necessary."

Does this include China-based spammer sites?

[Animats]

Will this include major China-based spammer services like Black Box Hosting [blackboxhosting.com]? "Our offshore bullet proof web hosting plans allow bulk email hosting, spam friendly web hosting and bulletproof host."

China has tightened up in the past few weeks

[winkydink]

My colleagues and I have found it much more difficult to download email from the US while in the PRC in the past month.

Patriot Act?

[WindBourne]

I wonder how soon before congress will require US citizens to do the same via the use of patriot act or some other bill wrapped in the flag?

Re:Proving the Red Block still exists

[tverbeek]

Yet another example of someone not understanding the difference between communism (an economic system) and totalitarianism (a political system). They may sometimes go hand in hand, but you can easily have totalitarianism (of which this is an example) without communism. Why, I've even seen it growing in market-based economies.

Re:Economic issues...

[Anonymous Coward]

nope, they cannot.

Re:Economic issues...

[pthor1231]

Can't the Chinese surf to external sites, where such problems are rampant???

No, they can't. They have to sign an agreement saying they promise not to view websites that have such material on them currently.

The companies that make it possible

[binarstu]

This article from news.com.com [com.com] details an Amnesty International report about the Western corporations who have been happy to help China set up its massive surveillance system. Those of us responsible for buying networking hardware for our companies may want to consider where we want our money to go. I would suggest supporting businesses who don't so blatantly assist in massively squashing basic human rights.

Re:Middle east

[greenrd]

They aren't really censoring the Internet out there, they're letting it go.

Bullshit.

Tell that to the Iranian bloggers who have been arrested merely for publishing their political views.

That's the textbook definition of censorship.

And Iran actually purports to be a democracy. Countries like Saudi Arabia don't even pretend to have democratic scruples.

Re:The Chinese Internet

[tilleyrw]

Excuse me, but where did you place your brain?

Go retrieve it, because it's lonely.

Google the search phrase "crime rate gun law". The top two countries are England (U.K.) and Australia.

Smacking idiots with the clue stick...

Re:The Chinese Internet

[mrmojo]

I can't believe this made it to +4 interesting. Do you have any evidence for your preposterous claim? Everything I have heard has indicated that violent crime is at an all time low in Australia.

It's only semi automatic / automatic guns that are illegal, so you're wrong (or at least misleading) on two counts.

If only I had mod points right now I could label this the flamebait/troll it deserves.

What's even worse is that the one guy who called you on this lie has been relegated to -1 troll!

Re:Very true.

[stonecypher]

I think you'll also find that censorship occurs in all countries, and that much of it is ludicrous. (Look at the list of books banned in various parts of the US - "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"???)

Er. What are you talking about? The US has very strong anti-censorship laws. The only grounds under US law under which you may be censored are the dissemination of technology which poses a serious hazard to national security (nuclear weapon designs are the canonical example.)

Maybe you're confusing school system censorship lists with real censorship. Frankly, I think the notion that school system "censorship" is abberrant are silly; I just don't think that a high school should teach Lady Chatterly, not because it offends me, but because it's against many parents' models for raising their children. Either way, that has nothing to do with real censorship; there is no state, county, city or municipality which can censor fiction in this country, anywhere, by federal law.

In general, philosophies are rarely corrupt

By definition, a philosophy is not something subject to corruption. Rather than using nebulous words like philosophy, which here do not apply anyway, you might consider giving concrete examples.

Americans, especially, are bad about seeing the defects in others and ignoring their own.

Spoken like a true bigot. But, since you're seeing the defects in us and ignoring that in yourself, you're probably just anther filthy American.

Remove the log from your own eye, before removing the speck from your brother's eye. It really does help.

Tu quoque.