China to crack down on blogs, search engines

Terrific. We’re all a lot safer.

Blogs and search engines, the most active parts of China information industry, will undergo strict supervision of the government.

“As more and more illegal and unhealthy information spreads through the blog and search engine, we will take effective measures to put the BBS,blog and search engine under control,” said Cai Wu, director of the Information Office of the State Council, at a meeting held Wednesday.

China launched a project on Feb. 21 to purify the environment of internet and mobile communication network through a series of measures within a year. According to a report made by prestigious Qinghua (Tsinghua) University in Beijing, the Chinese blog sites have reached 36.82 million. The report also predicted that the blog sites may exceed 60 million this year.

“The market cannot develop without efficient management,” said Cai, adding that the government will enhance research on the concerned technology and make admittance standards for blog websites.

Of course, we all know by “illegal and unhealthy information” they mean anything that might make the party look bad, and by “efficient management” they mean ruthless censorship. On the other hand, I can’t imagine them succeeding. Even if the number of bogs in China is a small fraction of the guesstimated 36 million, there’s simply no way to monitor and control them all. But it’s nice to see that they’re trying.

Via CDT.

The Discussion: 10 Comments

It doesn’t have to be this way. But it is US companies that are developing the censored Chinese search engines:

Fears over China rival to Google

June 29, 2006 @ 10:11 pm | Comment

Ah yes, moral equivalence between private US companies and the absolute dictatorship of the Communist Party.

And yet, Zhuanjia, you wonder why some of us call you a propaganda whore?

June 30, 2006 @ 3:34 am | Comment

I sent information (negative) about the FG to a student doing research and added my yahoo address. It never arrived. I know this won’t shock anyone, but it’s the first time it happened to me.

June 30, 2006 @ 4:55 am | Comment

Ivan instead of trolling this site with insults could you just try ask a coherent question. Where does moral equivalence comes into this? Are you saying the ethics of a US company can not be criticised because the Chinese government is just so infinitely worse? This is a US company that is hoping to make a ton of money out of a censored search engine it has developed specifically for “the absolute dictatorship” in China. Are you saying we should applaud US companies for helping the Chinese government to censor the internet? I just don’t understand what your point is. Perhaps if you left out the “whores” and “pigs” you might be able to make a valid point. As it is, you sound like a Xinhua leader writer after one too many baijius.

June 30, 2006 @ 5:09 am | Comment

Zhuanjia, you lost all your credibility in your first few posts here.

As for calling me a troll, why don’t you email Richard and ask HIM whether HE thinks I’m a troll?

And lying sacks of shit like you don’t deserve respect.

June 30, 2006 @ 5:48 am | Comment

Zhuanjia, you lost all your credibility in your first few posts here.

As for calling me a troll, why don’t you email Richard and ask HIM whether HE thinks I’m a troll?

And lying sacks of shit like you don’t deserve respect.

But for the benefit of other readers, my point above is that you, Zhuanjia, are being SO FUCKING DISINGENUOUS in trying to shift attention away from what the CCP is doing, to how some US companies are helping them. What is YOUR point, hm?

And the words “whores” and “pigs” are PART of a valid point. Liars – of whom the CCP are the most dedicated practitioners in the world – deserve to be cursed. Respect has to be earned.

June 30, 2006 @ 5:53 am | Comment

Ivan your one note “all Communists are pigs and whores” rants are just boring. Why don’t you go and start your own website called The Peking Pigs, and get it out of your system. The Cold War ended long ago and you might try ponder more subtle questions like how many Chinese Communist Party members are communists? The Party these days is the Rotary Club run by control freaks.

In the meantime, try answer the question I asked you about Accoona.

June 30, 2006 @ 5:57 am | Comment

PS, I think it was General Eisenhower who said:

“You use the word ‘shit’ so that you can use the word ‘noble’ without sounding ridiculous.”

I just love how the CCP apologists like Zhuanjia respond to expressions of righteous indignation with remarks like “why can’t you be more courteous?” Or, “oy, you said a naughty word!”
Well, where fathomless depths of lying and mass murder are concerned, cursing IS the most appropriate, most truthful response.

Reinhard Heydrich and many of the SS had exquiste manners, and were very courteous even while they were stuffing people in gas chambers. You, Zhuanjia, are the kind of disingenuous lying creep who would hear someone cursing at the SS and then say, “OY! You said a naughty word!”

God you make me sick.

June 30, 2006 @ 6:28 am | Comment

Answer the question.

June 30, 2006 @ 7:52 am | Comment

Oy vey…

There was a documentary called THE CORPORATION that posited, since corporations have some legal standing as “persons,” that therefore said “persons” would be considered sociopaths if evaluated according to their legal status.

Or something like that.

Never mind.

Yes, you can criticize corporations for their conduct. You can’t excuse the CCP for corporations’ bad actions, though.

July 1, 2006 @ 12:41 pm | Comment

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