China clamps down on web surfing

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,3639341%255E2703,00.html


China censors web surfers
By Lynne O'Donnell, China correspondent
January 23, 2002

CHINA'S cyber police have been handed sweeping powers of control over the internet as the communist authorities tighten their grip on access to information.

Just weeks after joining the World Trade Organisation, the Chinese Government has begun a major censorship drive on its web-surfing citizens.

New laws force Chinese internet service providers to spy on their customers and provide detailed information to the Government about their internet-surfing habits.

Chinese ISPs must take responsibility for the activities of their customers, creating a culture of caution and self-censorship that is likely to restrict the quantity and quality of information to which China's 34 million internet surfers have access.

Internet cafes, which are regularly targeted for raids and crackdowns, will be forced to record details of all customers, as well as install software barring access to sites deemed unsuitable.

Authorities already block access to a variety of internet sites, including sites that are critical of the communist regime, such as human rights organisations, and a range of media sites including the BBC.

Under the rules announced late last week, the powerful Ministry of Information and Technology has ordered ISPs that provide services in "sensitive and strategic sectors", such as news sites, chat rooms and bulletin boards, to pass on users' account numbers, addresses and phone numbers, as well as details on sites they access and viewing times.

The ministry is also demanding that ISPs install software to screen emails, and to copy any messages that contain "sensitive material".