T3H Blog

Is it safe?

The Chinese ‘Green Dam’ filtering software that could be used to control people’s viewing habits will not be going into effect due to the WTO ruling last week that forced Beijing to allow consumers to choose for themselves whether they wanted the software or not.

Prior to the ruling, the filtering software was to be installed on every new PC and laptop that entered the Chinese border as a countrywide regulation.

Following the WTO decision, the minister of industry and technology, Li Yizhong, announced Thursday that consumers could make the choice.

The government alleged that Green Dam was an effort to block porn, but the software also allows for the Government to monitor the use of individual computers outside of just web browsing.

The initial announcement in May that the software would be installed on all computers instigated an instant backlash, with many industry associations writing to the WTO against the software.

Outside of China, many other countries including the US asked the WTO to revoke the decision stating that it violated WTO regulations.

In the past China has had to reduce the efforts of other censoring requirements including changing its stance on wireless encryption standards in 2006.

The news is not too bad for China, as it still has other tools such as Net Nannies that scours chat forums and emails for websites that are considered politically sensitive or inappropriate.

Yizhong did state that while offering consumers their individual choice when it comes to the software, the Government still intends to place it on all internet cafe computers, public places, and school computers.

Now I wonder if China is going to ask the WTO to have the US remove the NSA’s covert, extralegal domestic surveillance of American citizens and foreign nationals in place at all major US telecom carriers!