China’s 11 Internet Commandments
Reporters Without Borders reports that China is attempting to restrict internet access yet further with 11 commandments that were announced with a fanfare by the official media.
The article notes that there is very little new in these rules, which restate the party’s desire to maintain the monopoly of the dissemination of information and that the media’s task is not to be objective but to relay state propaganda. As such, the intent is almost certainly to frighten internet users towards self-censorship.
These moves to filter the Internet are nevertheless a sign that the Internet frightens those in power, in particular during a period of ever greater social unrest. It’s noticeable that the only new elements in the text relate to banning the calling of strikes or gatherings though the Net.
For the record, online news service providers, bulletin board providers and organisations that send news to mobile phones are banned from putting out news or allowing posts that:
- violate the basic principles of the Chinese constitution
- endangers national security, leaks national secrets, seeks to overthrow the government, endangers the unification of the country
- destroys the country’s reputation and benefits
- arouses national feelings of hatred, racism, and endangers racial unification
- violates national policies on religion, promotes the propaganda of sects and superstition [More than 30 members of the Falungong movement are currently behind bars for posting news on the Internet]
- diffuses rumours, endangers public order and creates social uncertainty
- diffuses information that is pornographic, violent, terrorist or linked to gambling
- libels or harms people’s reputation, violates people’s legal rights
- includes illegal information bounded by law and administrative rules
- encourage illegal gatherings, strikes, etc to create public disorder
- organise activities under illegal social associations or organisations
Tuesday 27 Sep 2005 | Paul | China
