The Chinese government has announced that all new PCs sold in China must have a porn filter installed on them. They’ve given the PC manufacturers all of 2 1/2 weeks to comply — the law takes effect July 1.

The software, called “Green Dam-Youth Escort” regularly checks a list of banned sites so that it can “[construct] a green, healthy, and harmonious Internet environment, and preventing harmful information on the Internet from influencing and poisoning young people.”

The software was created by a company with “ties to China’s security ministry and military” says the Wall Street Journal (sub required). So will the filter limit itself simply to blocking sites with adult content? Given China’s track record, I think not. But at least the Chinese have given the PC makers a sort of plausable deniability. They can claim to have loaded the porn filter while having no responsibility over which sites get blocked. It’s the price you have to pay to access the huge Chinese market.

UPDATE, June 10: Oh, Chinese surfers are just thrilled by how Green Dam works.

Submitted by: Dan Giancaterino, Education Services Manager
on June 08, 2009 - 1:53 pm

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