Beijing Unveils Plan to Censor Social Media and Cloud Data Storage

[bananas]

Source: Business Week

Yet again, Beijing pledged to tighten the screws on the Chinese Internet. On Thursday, the government announced another nationwide campaign to root out online porn and “rumors”—which effectively means everything from libelous content to political dissent.

The targets will not only be traditional Web pages, but also videos and messages shared over social media platforms, data files stored in the cloud, and streaming video on smart TVs. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) expects to shut down several content providers deemed to have an adverse “severe impact,” as CAC official Liang Lihua told the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Representatives from 29 leading Chinese Web portals, including Tencent.com (700:HK), Sohu.com (SOHU), and 163.com (NTES), co-signed a “letter of intent” to uphold the government’s objective of cleaning up the Internet. Among other things, the companies pledged to require real-name registration of users and “to consciously abide by the ‘seven bottom lines’—law and rules, socialist systems, national interests, citizens’ legitimate rights, social public order, morality and authenticity of information,” according to the letter.

The document also enumerated 18 categories of information deemed unfit for public consumption, including anything deemed a “state secret” (a broad category) or likely to incite racial tension. “The management of posts and comments in line with the law concerns the guidance of online public opinion,” CAC Deputy Director Ren Xianliang told Xinhua.

Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-07/beijing-plans-to-censor-social-media-and-cloud-storage-in-crack-down#r=lr-sr

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Well, I guess at least they're openly telling their populace

they intend to look at all of their data.

[wolfie001]

2. How/why are they not bugging the hell out of the hardware they manufacture for us?

This just seems too obvious, right? Steve Jobs?

[FrodosPet]

3. Can we do that here in America to right wingers and Third Wayers?

According to Trotsky, all media, such as publishing, broadcasting, etc. should be government owned and controlled. Used to further the cause of socialism. For the collective, not for the individual.

If the NSA is going to spy on people, make sure they spy on the RIGHT people.

[damyank913]

4. The task of monitoring all this information will be formidable.

Last I read about this, about 55 million people in China owned a computer. This does not include internet cafes, businesses or smart phones, of which there are many. Every year the numbers go up significantly. They are going to spend a lot controlling the info exchange in their own country. What's especially interesting is how they'll control this info in context with the west. The NSA's got nothing compared with the computer they'll have to build in China to track a billion people.