China's State Run Media Looks at How Universities Censored Internet Forums During Anti-Japanese Protests

In an article published on April 25, the Shanghai Evening Post examined how Internet forums at Fudan, Jiaotong, and Shanghai Normal universities "used relatively strict supervision, [and] set up specific screening mechanisms for harmful information" when anti-Japanese demonstrations were taking place around China.
 

According to the report, entitled "Shanghai University Internet Forums Say 'No' to Rumors":

• Fudan University's "Sun Moon Brilliance" Internet forum was closed between midnight and 8:00 am, making it more difficult for harmful information to be posted on the forum from outside the university.
• Shanghai Jiaotong University implemented 24 hour monitoring and utilized "technical means" to implement keyword filtering of its email and Internet forum systems.
• Shanghai Normal University's "Lakeside Contemplations" Internet forum managers "undertook 24 hour monitoring, and took turns inspecting and controlling the expression situation on the entire Internet forum" on April 15 through 17.

The publication of this article comes a month after the Ministry of Education imposed new restrictions on University Internet bulletin boards. It also coincides with warnings from Chinese Communist Party and military media outlets to citizens to stop attempting to use the Internet and cell phones to organize unauthorized demonstrations.

China has strict laws requiring Internet forum operators to monitor the identities of users and the contents of their posts.