Chinese Government Delays Pre-Installation of Censorship Software on Computers Sold in China

August 6, 2009

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on June 30, 2009, that it would delay a requirement that all computers "leaving the factory and sold" in China after July 1 must have government-approved censorship software "pre-installed." An MIIT spokesperson reportedly told journalists on June 30 that "recently, a number of companies have said that the workload is heavy, the time is sudden, and preparations are insufficient. In light of the practical situation, pre-installation can be delayed," according to a June 30 Xinhua article (in Chinese).

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on June 30, 2009, that it would delay a requirement that all computers "leaving the factory and sold" in China after July 1 must have government-approved censorship software "pre-installed." An MIIT spokesperson reportedly told journalists on June 30 that "recently, a number of companies have said that the workload is heavy, the time is sudden, and preparations are insufficient. In light of the practical situation, pre-installation can be delayed," according to a June 30 Xinhua article (in Chinese).

The spokesperson did not indicate how long the delay would last. Xinhua also reported the announcement in a June 30 English-language article. The spokesperson said MIIT issued the requirement to "protect minors to avoid receiving influence from obscene, pornographic, or other harmful information online," according to the Xinhua (Chinese) article. Tests have shown, however, that the software also filters political and religious content. The policy has been widely criticized both in and outside of China.

The spokesperson said that MIIT would continue pursuing the policy and would be seeking suggestions on how to pre-install the software, known as "Green Dam-Youth Escort," on computers, according to the Xinhua (Chinese) article.The spokesperson said that MIIT would continue to offer free downloads of the software online, and continue to install the software in computers located at elementary and middle schools, Internet cafes, and "other public places."

A June 30 New York Times article reported that some companies already had begun to comply with the directive. The article reported that Acer, a Taiwanese company, had said it would pre-install the software, and that vendors in Beijing said the software had been installed in some computers made by Lenovo, a Chinese company that is the top seller in China.

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