China's Stifling of the Web
Verne Kopytoff writes on SFGate.com:
Keeping Chinese citizens from sensitive online information about such subjects as democracy, Taiwan and the Dalai Lama is a full-time job for the Beijing government.Much more here.
An army of Internet police removes objectionable postings on message boards. Automated filters block access to thousands of Web sites.
Then there's the role of private businesses. Companies, including several U.S. technology giants, censor their Chinese Web sites and turn over e-mail records of dissidents, fearing that doing otherwise will jeopardize their business licenses and get their employees thrown in jail.
The issue came to the fore at a high-profile and often heated congressional hearing last week at which representatives from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Cisco Systems described their cooperation with the Beijing government. The testimony by the companies, plus that of several human-rights groups, provided one of the most detailed glimpses yet about how China keeps a tight grip on the Web.
posted by Fergie @ 2/19/2006 11:16:00 AM
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