Japan PC makers rushing to meet China's new rule of filtering software

Wednesday 10th June, 06:22 AM JST

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jonnyboy at 03:57 PM JST - 10th June

the issue is more like why is Japan helping China be more of a dictatorship if not for the almighty buck/yen? Knowing full well it will deny people or track them maybe even put people into jail? For a country that doesn't want war helping another country maintain that war with its own citizens is a total sellout.

yahoo were equally "guilty" of this, in fact more so. the counter argument would be something along the lines of "keep your friends close, your enemies closer". not quite sure where i stand, personally
dat5h at 04:12 PM JST - 10th June

Thanks for the clarification, societymike! I'm hope that's the case. If so, then this piece is written rather poorly.
escape_artist at 04:15 PM JST - 10th June

Japan helping dictatorships continue being dictatorships?? Duh. Why is this any surprise in Japan Inc.? Pretty much everything in Japan is modeled, measured or viewed based first and foremost on the pursuit of money. Ever notice how nearly everything, even though not related to finances or money, is measured in fiscal years? It's a very common perspective that I think bespeaks a general deeper outlook toward the world. Human rights, equal treatment between men & women, justice for workers, these mean little if they impede the ability to make money. All is relative here; if companies can get away with it and still make money, they'll do it, company-wise no questions, no qualms. And before I get flamed by all the Japan apologists here... yes, the US, Australia, Britain and many other nations have their share of unscrupulous companies too, but in my experience not nearly with as much apathy & ignorance about (what many consider) important issues and obsessiveness for money as (mostly the) big firms do in Japan. Take Japan's dealings with Burma, for example. Aren't Japanese firms still eager as ever to do business with the junta there?

What are the other big computer markets, btw? Does the US still have one that's viable, for instance? Why doesn't Japan be a real leader and say "no" to China, and say that if you want our products you need to take them as they are and install whatever censorship on them that you want. Why is it up to the makers to placate China's obsessiveness with control? I know this kind of frankness and honesty and calling things as they are may be hard to find among Japan's business-government community but it still should be sought after. Plus, it doesn't matter how many controls Japan's makers load on their products; human nature as it is will always seek freedom of communication. Ways around whatever controls Japan, et al. load will always be found. This is pretty much assured.

What I'm wondering -- with China's market being so huge -- is when will Japan's makers decide not to bother with producing/supplying two versions of their products (China's govt and their ilk, and the rest of the world) and just make one for everyone (mainly for domestic consumption, primarily to keep costs down) that will have these controls permanently installed as the default. Wouldn't surprise me if this eventually happens, even with human nature as it is. As mentioned, I don't think it should be assumed that capitalist business leaders necessarily follow the best facets of human nature... It's the responsibility of free people everywhere to speak up and make sure this kind of fawning doesn't happen. Are Japan's citizens up for the task?
thedeath at 04:54 PM JST - 10th June

Thanks for the clarification, societymike! I'm hope that's the case. If so, then this piece is written rather poorly.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/09/content_11515434.htm

"The software could be switched off and uninstalled by parents."
thedeath at 04:57 PM JST - 10th June

one more here "while the company that makes the software maintains that users may turn it off at any time, foreign technicians testing the software "were unable to uninstall it."

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/06/09/china-demands-pc-makers-add-site-censoring-software
ilcub76 at 07:36 PM JST - 10th June

I have a question. Does this new law apply to laptops taken into the country from abroad? Will the software be installed on your laptop at Customs?
ThonTaddeo at 10:27 PM JST - 10th June

Does this new law apply to laptops taken into the country from abroad? Will the software be installed on your laptop at Customs?

Of course not. It's for computers sold in China.
goodDonkey at 11:57 PM JST - 10th June

Wall Street Journal says:

...foreign industry officials who have examined the software say, it could transmit personal information, cause PCs to malfunction, and make them more vulnerable to hacking. It also makes it difficult for users to tell what exactly is being blocked, officials say.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124440211524192081.html

New York Times: The rules, issued last month, ratchet up Internet restrictions that are already among the most stringent in the world. China regularly blocks Web sites that discuss the Dalai Lama, the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters, and the Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement.

But free-speech advocates say they fear the new software could make it even more difficult for China’s 300 million Internet users to obtain uncensored news and information.

“This is a very bad thing,” said Charles Mok, chairman of the Hong Kong chapter of the Internet Society, an international advisory group on Internet standards. “It’s like downloading spyware onto your computer, but the government is the spy.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/world/asia/09china.html

I am not a China basher. I believe that someday there will be movement toward greater freedom in speech, the press and other human rights areas. The economic freedom they arrived at after being a totally socialist state is simply amazing. But it is naive to think this is just meant to protect children. You won't find me buying into any conspiracy theories but there is plenty of evidence already via all the information that is currently blocked. This software updates itself automatically and reports information on the host computer. Many news articles are saying that it also has the ability to disable similar to Microsoft's verification and so called activation process.
SebastianFlyte at 10:23 AM JST - 11th June

Another reason to have nothing to do with China.
Obot2008 at 04:44 PM JST - 11th June

"societymike - The filtering software they speak of is simply the program that allows parents to control access to websites on their computers for their children" No the is not parental control software unless you classify the Chinese government as the parents. They have a well documented history of restricting access to websites.

"societymike - You can access any site you want in China very easily. No repression in this story guys... sorry."

It is very obvious you have never been to China, or at the very least you have never tried to use the internet there. There are so many inaccuracies in your post I can't even begin to address them all. As recently as the Tiananmen Square anniversary there was a total lockdown on hotmail as well as numerous other sites. It wasnt "parents" simultaneously shutting down access to all these sites.

"No different then the rest of the worlds available software"

when is the last time your Netnanny or Nortons shut down access to websites nation-wide on a politically sensitive date? Try a little more research and a little less speculation

when's the last time your
societymike at 07:00 PM JST - 11th June

I have been to China 5 times in the last 6 years and used the internet there everytime. If you stumble on a site that seems to be restricted, you can change settings in the browser and "poof", it's accessable. You can also go to proxy sites and access anything in the world by masking your IP. They are very popular and with 5 seconds in Google, you have hundreds to choose from. As for this software, there are already copies of it going around on PC building sites. Just like any other software, you can uninstall it. (I'm a member of a PC related site full of nerds building systems that are sold in China)
mmwk2008 at 12:11 AM JST - 12th June

societymike.... right you can change it, and your ISP will note you accessed it, and therefore the blame will rest with you for willfully/knowingly accessing that site. So there goes the accidental click "excuse".
Terrikus at 09:44 AM JST - 12th June

Societymike is generally correct. I'm living in Tianjin now, and the internet censorship is more of a minor annoyance than anything else.
thedeath at 12:38 PM JST - 16th June

http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?threadid=3298722&forumid=72227
thedeath at 12:48 PM JST - 16th June

anyone surprise that the People Republic of Censorship is also using open-source "without displaying the proper license"?

still some more to read here

http://www.crn.com/software/217801217;jsessionid=4INS5JFGRQDYOQSNDLPSKHSCJUNN2JVN

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2348720,00.asp