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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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China Orders PC Makers to Bundle Web Filters

Newly required software strengthens Beijing's controls on Internet

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(Newser) – Starting next month all computers in China must ship with software to block certain websites, the Wall Street Journal reports. The government says the move is to block "harmful" content such as pornography from young web surfers, but it could also be used to filter politically sensitive material. The directive is forcing Western manufacturers to choose: aid censorship or lose one of the world's most lucrative markets.

The software, called Green Dam, acts similarly to a parental-control program and currently only blocks porn. But foreign companies think it could also transmit personal information, and unlike similar programs it gives little indication that sites are being blocked. Hewlett-Packard, the US company with the largest share of the Chinese market, said it was "evaluating the best way to approach this," echoing similar hedged sentiments from Dell and Lenovo.

Chinese children browse the Internet at a primary school in Zaozhuang, China, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009.
Chinese children browse the Internet at a primary school in Zaozhuang, China, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, Sun Zhongzhe)
A Chinese child looks at a Lenovo laptop on display at the Beijing International High-tech Expo, May 23, 2005.
A Chinese child looks at a Lenovo laptop on display at the Beijing International High-tech Expo, May 23, 2005.   (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel, File)
A woman uses a computer at an Internet cafe in Fuyang, central China's Anhui province.
A woman uses a computer at an Internet cafe in Fuyang, central China's Anhui province.   (AP Photo, File)
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3 comments
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2-bits
Jun 8, 09 7:38 AM CDT
And what exactly is going to stop people from simply reinstalling the operating system? Or installing Linux for that matter. Hell, killing the process will probably be enough. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
SPH
Jun 8, 09 2:52 PM CDT
I agree..If Chinese authorities were smart they would allow only Apple computers....That would prevent common citizens from disabling their firewall.....And with the one button mouse it's user friendly.....
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MarkFL
Jun 8, 09 6:21 PM CDT
Linux is the answer but they probably block linux web sites. Any company that installs such software is freaking coward. Reply
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