China to Increase Censorship of Bloggers
China will intensify controls of the growing numbers of bloggers using the Internet to lay bare their thoughts, politics and even bodies, the country's chief censor has announced. The director of China's General Administration of Press and Publication, Long Xinmin, said the administration was forming rules to further regulate Internet publishing, including the country's legions of bloggers, The Beijing Morning Post reported Tuesday. "We must recognize that in an era when the Internet is developing at a breakneck pace, government oversight and control measures and means are facing new tests," Long told members of China's national Parliament on Monday, the report said. Long singled out bloggers as one challenge. Long said "citizens' freedom of expression would be fully protected." But China's restless blogging population has been a headache for the ruling Communist Party, which has sought to extend longstanding censorship to the country's fast-growing Internet use. By last September, the number of blog sites in China reached 34 million, a thirtyfold increase from four years before.
Chinese bloggers have detailed their political views, hobbies and grudges online. One pioneer, Mu Zimei, a young journalist, attracted a storm of publicity in 2003 by chronicling — names and all — her complicated love life. Another blogger, calling herself Liu Mangyan, published nude photos of herself. More sober-minded bloggers publish combative investigative journalism and punditry on current affairs. A number of government authorities would be casting new rules to cover Internet "publishing activities," Long said. "The publishing administration authorities have been paying attention to this new mode of Internet dissemination," Long said. China does not lack rules controlling the Internet; an army of competing agencies often issue regulations. Last year, for example, the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry issued rules on Internet news content that analysts said were aimed at extending regulations governing licensed news outlets to blogs and Internet-only news sites.
From http://www.iht.com 03/13/2007
With thriving blogging and podcasting activities in the Chinese cyber world in recent years, the authorities are considering regulatory rules to ensure their healthy and fast growth. Long Xinmin, director of China's General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP), revealed in Beijing March 12 that his administration, together with several other departments, is working on the new rules on Internet publishing activities, but gave no timeframe as to when the rules would be announced and enforced. A wedding photo of two Chinese bloggers. Blogging has thrived in China in the past two years, while legislation on blog administration has lagged behind. Long, speaking as a Beijing deputy on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the National People's Congress, said the rules will help guarantee the freedom of speech for all netizens while regulating and standardizing the publishing activities. Blogging has been a new growth area in China's information technology industry in the past two years, driven by a fast-increasing population of netizens and the so-called grass-roots society wake-up. However, legislation lagged behind in maintaining the order of the cyber world.
Two infamous lawsuits in 2006, in which bloggers accused service providers for failing in removing abusive words of other bloggers towards them, raised speculations of how to protect web users' interests in the meantime ensuring their rights of free speech. "We aim to maintain the healthy and easiest environment of web publishing on the premise of netizen's freedom of expression being fully fulfilled," Long said, adding that the rapid expansion of Internet use, especially the blogging and podcasting differing from traditional media, poses great pressure on the administrators. Providing China's 137 million web users with a free and easy way of publishing text and multi-media messages, blogging and podcasting, which don't require cutting-edge technologies, are also used by those with commercial purposes as a platform to publicize false and pornography information.
The prevalence of blogs also helped with the popularization of online spoofs. Sister Furong, as she named herself on the Internet, was well known for posing like the letter 'S' in photos and dancing while shaking her portly body. Mu Zimei showed off her thin figure and recorded her numerous romances with men on her weblog, with audio clips recorded while making love.
From http://www.chinadaily.com.cn 03/13/2007
China's television watchdog has banned an online television station for operating without a licence in a further bid to regulate online television programs. In a circular issued on Sunday, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) accused "China International Chinese Television Station" (www.ccztv.com) of "illegally recruiting reporters and engaging in unauthorized journalistic activities". The station's website has been replaced by a web page with the words: "Website Under Repair". The SARFT regulation stipulates that unlicensed online TV programs are prohibited from appearing on the Internet and violators could be fined up to 30,000 yuan (US$3,750). In a similar case, SARFT blacklisted seven illegal online television stations in December, 2006. However, five of them are still accessible.
From http://www.china.org.cn 03/20/2007
The Chinese government has pledged to eradicate the sale of new Internet bar licenses, which has continued despite a ban earlier this month. Tuo Zuhai, vice director of the Ministry of Culture cultural market department, said at a meeting on Internet bars that licenses were still sold in some areas for high profits after 14 government departments, including the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Information Industry, banned the practise. The sales were illegal and would be stopped according to laws and regulations, Tuo said. "There are currently almost 120,000 Internet bars in China, which meets the demand of the market," said Tuo, adding an increase in the number would lead to "negative competition". The government notice also required that school-owned Internet bars must be directly managed by the school, operated on a not-for-profit basis and must not be leased to individuals.
In recent years, Chinese government officials and commentators has voiced concerns over an alleged rise in the number of teenagers addicted to Internet cafes and gaming. The number of Internet users in China reached 123 million in mid-2006. About 15 percent of the total -- or 18 million -- are under the age of 18. A report by the Beijing Reformatory for Juvenile Delinquents claimed 33.5 percent of its detainees were influenced by violent on-line games or erotic websites when they committed crimes such as robbery and rape. Many experts and lawmakers have suggested the government tighten the management of Internet bars.
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