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China delays Green Dam initiative

BEIJING: Round one in a month-long tussle over the control of the Internet appears to have gone to China’s 298 million “netizens” with the Chinese government saying on Tuesday it would delay enforcing a controversial plan to filter websites.

The government had announced in May that all computers sold in the country after July 1 would have to carry a software programme called the Green Dam Youth Escort which would block access to a range of websites. Less than 24 hours before the plan was due to go into force, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a statement saying it would “delay the mandatory installation” of the software. The announcement was not entirely a surprise given the Green Dam initiative has been plagued with problems since it was unveiled in May. While the MIIT says it is to block “pornographic images, erotic texts and undesirable websites”, many bloggers have accused the government of trying to widen censorship.

A ctivists have called for a boycott of the Internet on July 1 to protest the move. The plan has also been beset with practical problems. The software was found to have numerous security flaws, while retailers in Beijing said they were nowhere near ready to sell computers with the software and would require several months before their products met government requirements. Legal experts have questioned the bidding process and accused the government of violating anti-monopoly laws.

Spring Liu, a prominent lawyer with China’s E-Commerce Association, told The Hindu a re-think in the government’s strategy was required before all concerns could be addressed. Mr. Liu defended the idea behind the plan, but said the government’s execution “might not have been suitable”. “I think the intention is good,” he said. “The government had to do something to control the spread of pornography and is under pressure to be seen to do something. The problem is whether they were qualified to do this. There are security issues and legal issues that need to be addressed, as also the publics concerns.”

Many of China’s netizens and bloggers were more scathing in their criticism, accusing the government of trying to expand its already extensive system of control.

Ai Weiwei, a prominent activist and contemporary artist who designed Beijing’s “Birds Nest” Olympics stadium, was among the thousands of netizens who called for a boycott of the Internet on July 1. “Stop any online activities, including working, reading, chatting, blogging, gaming and mailing,” Mr. Ai wrote on the messaging website Twitter. “And don’t explain your behaviour.”

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