Originally published June 16 2005
Chinese government tries to police cyberspace, requires all China-based websites to register
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
China's communist government has ordered all websites based in the country, whether private or commercial, to register with the government or be shut down, according to an article on Yahoo news.
Authorities have ordered all China-based Web sites and blogs to register or be closed down, in the latest effort by the communist government to police the world of cyberspace.
Commercial publishers and advertisers can face fines of up to 1 million yuan ($120,000) for failing to register, according to documents posted on the Web site of the Ministry of Information Industry.
"The Internet has profited many people but it also has brought many problems, such as sex, violence and feudal superstitions and other harmful information that has seriously poisoned people's spirits," the MII Web site said in explaining the rules, which were quietly introduced in March.
All public media in China is controlled by the state, though limits on the Internet have tended to lag behind as advances in technology and the Web's rapid spread outstripped Beijing's ability to keep tabs on users and service providers.
The government has long required all major commercial Web sites to register and take responsibility for Internet content --- at least 54 people have been jailed for posting essays or other content deemed subversive online.
"It will report back to the MII if it finds a site thought to be unregistered."
The press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders protested the new rules, saying they would force people with dissenting opinions to shift Web sites overseas, where mainland Chinese users might be unable to access them due to government censorship filters.
Authorities have closed down thousands of Internet cafes --- the main entry to the Web for many Chinese unable to afford a computer or Internet access.
They've also installed surveillance cameras and begun requiring visitors to Shanghai Internet cafes to register using their official identity cards --- all in an effort to keep tabs on who's seeing and saying what online.
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