Chinese Internet filtering postponed to a date not set
The authorities gave no reason for the postponement of the decision, much criticized, to install filtering software on new PCs in China.
China has postponed indefinitely the implementation of a decision requiring computer manufacturers to preinstall Internet filters on all new PCs , reports the New China Tuesday, June 30. The measure was to take effect on Wednesday 1 July. The agency gave no new date and no reason for the delay decided by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The implementation of this software has been denounced by Chinese Internet users, PC makers, civil rights of man and several countries including the United States. Chinese authorities had still far defended the obligation to sell brand new computer with this software called "green barrier" to protect minors from pornographic or violent images.
Critics of the software sold by Jinhui Computer System Engineering group felt it was unreliable and technically it can be used to spy on users or to block sites disturbing to the authorities.
Washington has estimated that this measure "draconian" may violate international trade rules. The European Chamber of Commerce has urged China to reconsider the measure asking, she said, "important issues concerning security, privacy, system reliability, the free flow of information and consumer choice."
Sex or politics?
A trial version of filter available for free download on the Internet ( www.skycn.com/soft/46657.html ) shows the limits of what "green dam". Once installed, the software automatically blocks images scanned with no pornographic or violent.
Although the operation of the filter images were not detailed by the manufacturer, the specialists consider it likely uses a program to recognize colors and shapes to zoom in on areas expected to show bare flesh. But his interpretation of an obscene is very broad since it includes the color orange fur Garfield the cat, the facial skin of Depp or pinkish tinge of a pig on a plate. Without the filter of pictures, word searches like "nude" are blocked, but a search for adult sites refers to links to pornographic sites.
The software also allows users to choose what to filter. Besides the violence and sex, the available categories include "gay content" and "illegal activities". Activists believe that the homosexual cause the gay content filtering could affect the dissemination of prevention projects against AIDS or sex education.
As for criticism of the government, they question the notion of "illegal activities", they wonder if it covers political and social activities disapproved by Beijing, which will further strengthen the existing censorship of information that is not validated by the authorities.
