Representative Christopher H. Smith, Chair
Senator Jeff Merkley, Cochair
Ministry of Information Industry Publication: Controlling "Harmful" Information on the Internet "Top Priority"
September 29, 2005
Saying that "when humanity opened the window to the Internet civilization, it also opened Pandora's box," a September 1 article in the Ministry of Information Industry's (MII) People's Post and Telecommunication News states that "Controlling the dissemination of harmful information on the Internet has become one of the government's foremost pressing responsibilities."
Saying that "when humanity opened the window to the Internet civilization, it also opened Pandora's box," a September 1 article in the Ministry of Information Industry's (MII) People's Post and Telecommunication News states that "Controlling the dissemination of harmful information on the Internet has become one of the government's foremost pressing responsibilities." Although the only "harmful information" mentioned explicitly in the article is pornography, it cites the Interim Provisions on the Administration of Internet Web sites Engaged in News Posting Operations (Provisions) as one government measure enacted to "control harmful information" on the Internet. Enacted in 2000 by the MII and the State Council Information Office (SCIO), the Provisions include the following restrictions on freedom of expression and the free flow of information:
- News Web sites may only be operated by government agencies with authorization from the SCIO.
- General interest Web sites may only post news promulgated by government news agencies, and then only with authorization from the SCIO.
- All Web sites are prohibited from linking to Web sites outside of China without authorization, or posting news issued by news media or Web sites outside of China, unless explicitly authorized to do so by the SCIO.
In 2001 the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) also issued the Notice Regarding Prohibiting the Transmission of Harmful Information and Further Regulating Publishing Order, which prohibits anyone from establishing an enterprise whose primary purpose is transmitting news or engaging in news publishing without permission from the GAPP.
Recent examples of China's government attempting to restrict Chinese citizen's access to foreign news sources on the Internet include:
- In April 2005, a city in Jilin province enacted an Ordinance on the Supervision and Administration of Internet News to stop Web sites from posting "whatever government news, social news, and cultural news they want" and linking to "news media Web sites outside of China."
- The MII recently concluded a crackdown on private Web sites that resulted in the closure of thousands of Web sites whose operators failed to register. The registration procedures stipulated that anyone posting news on their Web site must provide proof that they have government authorization to do so.