China Planning More Internet Censoring

www.msnbc.msn.com...

BEIJING - Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday launched a campaign to rid the country's sprawling Internet of "unhealthy" content and make it a springboard for Communist Party doctrine, state television reported.

With Hu presiding, the Communist Party Politburo — its 24-member inner council — discussed cleaning up the Internet, state television reported. The meeting promised to place the often unruly medium more firmly under propaganda controls.

"Development and administration of Internet culture must stick to the direction of socialist advanced culture, adhere to correct propaganda guidance," said a summary of the meeting read on the news broadcast.

"Internet cultural units must conscientiously take on the responsibility of encouraging development of a system of core socialist values."

The meeting was far from the first time China has sought to rein in the Internet. In January, Hu made a similar call to "purify" it, and there have been many such calls before.

But the announcement indicated that Hu wants ever tighter controls as he braces for a series of political hurdles and seeks to govern a generation of young Chinese for whom Mao Zedong's socialist revolution is a hazy history lesson.

"Consolidate the guiding status of Marxism in the ideological sphere," the party meeting urged, calling for more Marxist education on the Internet.

The Communist Party is preparing for a congress later this year that is set to give Hu another five-year term and open the way for him to choose eventual successors. In 2008, Beijing hosts the Olympic Games, when the party's economic achievements will be on display, along with its political and media controls.

In 2006, China's Internet users grew by 26 million, or 23.4 percent, year on year, to reach 137 million, Chinese authorities have estimated.

That lucrative market has attracted big investors such as Google and Yahoo. They have been criticised by some rights groups for bowing to China's censors.

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More of the article on the link posted above. Dang been hearing bout this quite a bit lately in that country. Will they someday be a 1984-like Superpower?

Other related links posted from April 13 - China cracks down on porn
www.msnbc.msn.com...
and 132M people in China access the web
www.msnbc.msn.com...

[edit on 25-4-2007 by el_madmaster]

I read about this awhile ago, it is a shame that they are continuously
moving in the wrong direction.

What really gets me, is how he keeps asserting that pronography goes
against "core socialist values", now the last time I checked, th onyl core
values of Socialism is economic equality, the eventual dissolution of
money.

China is not Communist in anything but name, and is far from being
a socialist country, it is an authoritarian dictatorship, that in my opinion
needs to be taken care of.

Hmm, the worst part of this story is the fact that it has, now, become a complacent issue.

If there is a massive social outcry within China then we are not hearing about it; hell it will most likely fly under the news radar. And this is what worries me.

People will read about it, say 'what a shame' and then assume it is a world away...but something like this could so easily happen in the United States or other Western nations.

Hell, there is and has been an active push by some to censor the internet and other faculties of life.

What a world.

Have you ever been to China?

There is no massive public outcry over this... It's internet censorship. It's like at a library where you can't watch porn - no one's going to march on the streets over this.

Plus... those that want to get past the censorships EASILY can.

People are generally quite satisfied in the PRC - believe it or not.



[edit on 25-4-2007 by k4rupt]

Originally posted by k4rupt
Have you ever been to China?

There is no massive public outcry over this... It's internet censorship. It's like at a library where you can't watch porn - no one's going to march on the streets over this.

Plus... those that want to get past the censorships EASILY can.

People are generally quite satisfied in the PRC - believe it or not.



[edit on 25-4-2007 by k4rupt]

Actually, I`ve been to China a couple of times, and I`m currently planning a summer trip to Shanghai. GREAT city, that.

Based on what I`ve seen, I`ve got to agree with you. People are generally satisfied in the PRC - and more than that, they`re generally optimistic about the future. Things are improving at a rate that makes the head spin. People notice things like there being 40% less poor people around, or the fact that their kids can afford not only three square a day but cars and travel and shopping expeditions to the big city. There is a middle class. - a middle class that`s larger than the entire population of the United States.

As far as the Great Firewall is concerned, I agree that it`s not that big of a deal. People who want to get around it can, and fairly easily.

The people being complacent with an authoritarian state that dictates
what can and can not be seen does not justify it's continued existence.

Originally posted by iori_komei
The people being complacent with an authoritarian state that dictates
what can and can not be seen does not justify it's continued existence.

True. Having the largest economic growth on the planet for the last decade, bringing over 400 MILLION people out of poverty in the last generation, and making continued investments in R&D, education and infrastructure, to ensure that the next decade is more prosperous than the last justifies their continued existence.

Doesnt sound very different from what some attempted bills in america have proposed.

I fear the internet isn't going to be the same free meeting place in a decade or so, not like it is now.

Originally posted by k4rupt

People are generally quite satisfied in the PRC - believe it or not.



[edit on 25-4-2007 by k4rupt]

I have not been there, or anywhere out of the country except Canada actually, but aren't people in North Korea largely satisfied with life? And alot of the public in most 1984esque states. Let's hope that China does not get to North Korea's level, and especially hope they don't end up having a leader like NK's.

Originally posted by el_madmaster
I have not been there, or anywhere out of the country except Canada actually, but aren't people in North Korea largely satisfied with life? And alot of the public in most 1984esque states. Let's hope that China does not get to North Korea's level, and especially hope they don't end up having a leader like NK's.

First off, you should go to China. I know it`s not easy to do, and unless I lived in Japan I never would have been. But you should go. You will be stunned by the difference between the image of China you get in the western media and reality.

There is no comparison between China and North Korea. To illustrate: according to wikipedia, three of the top 10 largest shopping malls in the world are in China - including numbers one and two. Wandering through one puts a lot of things in perspective, at least as far as what I grew up hearing about China. Talking to the locals also puts things in perspective. The changes that they were promised 20 years ago have come to fruition. To an extent, the distrust of the government`s proposals tends to be softened by their track record of success.

It`s NOT perfect. But it`s also not finished. In another 20 years, China will be quite different from today - but I can guarantee it will bear no resemblance to North Korea, barring a meteor strike or nuclear winter.

Originally posted by vox2442

Originally posted by iori_komei
The people being complacent with an authoritarian state that dictates
what can and can not be seen does not justify it's continued existence.

True. Having the largest economic growth on the planet for the last decade, bringing over 400 MILLION people out of poverty in the last generation, and making continued investments in R&D, education and infrastructure, to ensure that the next decade is more prosperous than the last justifies their continued existence.

Well said... the CCP is JUSTIFIED in it's continued existence because the people of China wants it's continued existence. The large majority... LARGE MAJORITY of Chinese people are quite happy and satisfied with their country as well as very optimistic about where the current gov't is going to take them. And they state this rightly so...

Oh, fun fact: in a poll conducted in Hong Kong, when asked to name their favorite political officials either in the mainland or in Taiwan, an overwhelming Hong Kongers chose mainland officials - THATS the amount of satisfaction the Chinese people have of their gov't... that a free society such as hong kong would choose "commie" leaders over democratically elected leaders in Taiwan.

Fun fact number 2: Over 90% of politicians in China`s central government have Engineering backgrounds.

Think about the engineers you know. Then ponder that one for a while.

Scares the bejeezus out of me....

I suppose I should be more precise when I say something.

What I meant is that it should not be allowed to stay the way it is
indefinitely.

I don't have a problem with the entirety of the PRChinese government,
but I do have a problem with the parts that are not democratic, hinder
freedom and don't think succession should be possible.

On a related topic: I watched a special on the building of a HUGE dam in China. The technological challenges were daunting, but the Chinese have persevered and managed to solve all of the problems as they arise. It is a true engineering marvel.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is to agree that the people in China seem to be satisfied and more optimistic about their future today than they were 15 years ago. And that's a good thing.