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Digital Communities
Industry Members
China Relaxes Computer-Filter Edict
June 16, 2009 By Wayne Hanson
When Chinese government authorities mandated that computers sold in that country must contain the government-approved Green Dam Youth Escort filtering software, it created suspicion in the West as to its real purpose, and widespread objections in China. Was it to prevent children from accessing pornography, or to extend official censorship into the home and office?
Then, Global Internet Freedom (GIF) -- a consortium formed by a few technology companies specialized in circumventing political censorship on Internet by repressive regimes -- released "Green Tsunami," software designed for Chinese users to disable or get rid of Green Dam.
Next, Solid Oak, a U.S.-based software manufacturer sent legal "cease and desist" orders to some U.S. computer manufacturers to stop them from installing the Green Dam software, claiming copyright infringement.
Then, security vulnerabilities were found and the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reportedly ordered the Green Dam manufacturer to install security patches.
Finally, yesterday, China Daily reported that while manufacturers must still install the Green Dam software on computer hard drives or have it available on installation CDs, consumers are not required to use it.
Photo: by Peter Morgan. Creative Commons License Attribution 2.0
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Making the software available, and allowing people to freely choose to use the software, if so desired, is a step in the right direction. However, the entire situation still reeks of conflict and ulterior motives. The government is still mandating that an oppressive software package, that is potentially infringing on numerous copyright laws, and could be used to censor and control the population's access to all types of information, be distributed on all computers sold to its citizens. I would like to leave everyone with one legal question, that everyone should be asking... Why would a government force the distribution of content censoring software, that is intended solely to "protect children from pornography"... on ALL of its people... including those citizens WITHOUT children?? In these modern times, it seems every group with a self-serving agenda, uses a "it's all about the children" guise, to further their cause... The worst part of this methodology, is that these campaigns cheapen, and undermine those operations that truly do work to further the best interests of children.
Making the software available, and allowing people to freely choose to use the software, if so desired, is a step in the right direction. However, the entire situation still reeks of conflict and ulterior motives. The government is still mandating that an oppressive software package, that is potentially infringing on numerous copyright laws, and could be used to censor and control the population's access to all types of information, be distributed on all computers sold to its citizens. I would like to leave everyone with one legal question, that everyone should be asking... Why would a government force the distribution of content censoring software, that is intended solely to "protect children from pornography"... on ALL of its people... including those citizens WITHOUT children?? In these modern times, it seems every group with a self-serving agenda, uses a "it's all about the children" guise, to further their cause... The worst part of this methodology, is that these campaigns cheapen, and undermine those operations that truly do work to further the best interests of children.
Making the software available, and allowing people to freely choose to use the software, if so desired, is a step in the right direction. However, the entire situation still reeks of conflict and ulterior motives. The government is still mandating that an oppressive software package, that is potentially infringing on numerous copyright laws, and could be used to censor and control the population's access to all types of information, be distributed on all computers sold to its citizens. I would like to leave everyone with one legal question, that everyone should be asking... Why would a government force the distribution of content censoring software, that is intended solely to "protect children from pornography"... on ALL of its people... including those citizens WITHOUT children?? In these modern times, it seems every group with a self-serving agenda, uses a "it's all about the children" guise, to further their cause... The worst part of this methodology, is that these campaigns cheapen, and undermine those operations that truly do work to further the best interests of children.