Chinese Internet filtering postponed to an unspecified date

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 application of a decision requiring computer manufacturers to preinstall an Internet filter on new PCs , reports that Tuesday, June 30 New China. The measure was to take effect on Wednesday ¹ July. The agency gave no new date and no reason to delay decided by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The implementation of this software has been denounced by Chinese Internet users, PC makers, advocacy organizations for human rights and by several countries including the United States. Chinese authorities had nonetheless defended until the obligation to sell any new computer with this software called "green dam" 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 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 without pornography or violence.

Although the operation of the filter image has not been detailed by the manufacturer, industry experts say it likely uses a program to recognize colors and shapes to zoom in on areas allegedly showing the naked flesh. But his interpretation of an obscene content is very broad since it includes the orange hue of the fur of the cat Garfield, the facial skin of Depp or pinkish tinge of pork on a plate. Without the filter of images, word searches like "nude" are blocked, but a search for adult sites has links to pornographic sites.

The software also allows users to choose what to filter. In addition to violence and sex, available categories include "gay content" and "illegal activities". Activists believe that the homosexual cause this 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 on information not validated by authorities.