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Chinese To Switch Off Computers For The Day On July 1

Chinese To Switch Off Computers For The Day On July 1

On July 1, millions of computers in China could remain switched off if a boycott being organized there is successful. The protest is against the mandatory Youth Escort Green Dam filtering software the government has said must be installed on all new machines sold from that date.

Reuters says that the boycott is being proposed by government critic and architect Ai Weiwei, who sees it as a way of voicing protest without the risk of retaliation.

Initially the government insisted all machines run the software, but they’ve since backed down to make it optional.

China to Mandate Internet Filtering Software on PCs

China to Mandate Internet Filtering Software on PCs

The Great Firewall of China looks to be making a move on individual computer users’ hard drives: according to reports by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), the Chinese government has informed PC makers that all new PCs sold in the country as of July 1 must be pre-equipped with the free “Green Dam-Youth Escort” filtering software to block access to particular Web sites. According to reports, the Chinese government is primarily concerned with blocking access to pornographic material and other “unhealthy” words and images.

The Chinese government has made the directive to PC manufacturers, but has yet to formally announce it to the public.

China Blocking Internet Services as Tiananmen Anniversary Nears

China Blocking Internet Services as Tiananmen Anniversary Nears

In 1989, pro-democracy students, intellectuals, and activists began staging protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, culminating on June when the Chinese government sent in tanks to break up the protests…an action which led to photographer Jeff Widener’s world-famous "Tank Man" image of an unknown, unarmed man halting a column of four tanks simply by standing in front of them and refusing to move. The number of civilians and protesters killed or injured in the crackdown is still unknown, but some estimates rise into the thousands.

Microsoft Loses NZ Government Windows Deal

Microsoft Loses NZ Government Windows Deal

Could the New Zealand government be going open source? That seems eminently possible after it failed to renew a software agreement with Microsoft for Windows. Talks between the company and the NZ State Services Commission ground to a halt once the Commission realized that "a formal agreement with Microsoft is no longer appropriate." The company couldn’t offer what government negotiators required in price, features, or roadmap, The Register reports.

"We didn’t feel we got the appropriate levels of benefit from the negotiations," a government spokesperson told Computerworld.

Interim Digital Britain Report Released

 Interim Digital Britain Report Released

The interim Digital Britain report was finally released yesterday, four days later than planned, outlining plans for the UK’s digital feature. The man behind it, Lord Carter, the communications minister, set out a platform that includes broadband for all by the time Britain hosts the Olympic Games in 2012.

The broadband speeds would be “up to” two megabits per second, fast enough to watch or download a movie, and will employ a mix of landline, mobile and wireless technology, with the impetus coming from telecoms companies and broadcasters, rather than from large government subsidies.

China Shutters Another 244 Sites

China Shutters Another 244 Sites

China’s official Xinhua news agency reports that the Chinese government has shuttered another 244 Web sites for hosting “vulgar” content, bringing the total number of sites shut down in its current campaign to over 700. The new 244 closed sites follow 91 sites that were closed last week for offering pornographic or other content deemed vulgar by the Chinese government…including the well-known Bullog.cn blog hosting service.

According to Xinhau, about a third of the newly-closed sites had not registered with government agencies, and were violating laws regarding distribution of sexual images.

Private Firm To Run UK Database?

Private Firm To Run UK Database?

There were outcries when the British government first proposed a giant database covering all phone calls, e-mails and Internet use in the country. But according to an article in the Guardian, a upcoming white paper on the database is including the option to send the databse out for tender to be run by private companies.

The database, whose costs could reach £12 billion, wouldn’t record content, but would have details of sites visited, along with senders, times and recipients of e-mails and calls. According to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, such a database is vital in fighting terrorism. Assurances have been given that the database would be secure and the information not misused.

Vietnam Tightens Blog Rules

Vietnam Tightens Blog Rules

In a change of direction, Vietnamese media has reported that the country’s government is tightening up rules on blogging, banning topics deemed inappropriate by the government, and allowing “clean and wholesome” language only, with blogs forced to followed Vietnamese law, the BBC reports.

ISPs hosting blogs will be held responsible for their content. It’s an interesting turn of affairs for a country where many rely on blogs for news, and where a quarter of the population, about 20 million people, use the Internet.

China Bans Some Sites Again

Prior to the Olympics this summer, there was a furor when foreign journalists complained that the Chinese government was blocking ‘sensitive’ sites. In the spirit of the games, those were opened up. But now, after the outsiders have long gone, the government has re-blocked several of those sites, including the BBC Chinese site and Voice of America in Chinese, the BBC reports.

According to a Chinese government spokesman, the sites – which also include Asiaweek, Reporters Without Borders and some Hong Kong and Taiwanese sites – include content that violates Chinese law. But spokesman Liu Jianchao would not confirm that the government was behind the censorship.

UK Trials Biometric ID Cards

UK Trials Biometric ID Cards

The British Labour government has argued that its controversial biometric national ID card scheme, which it plans to roll out nationally, will cut terrorism and illegal immigration. The two opposition parties both disagree and have vowed to scrap the cards if they come into power.

Yes, the ID card scheme raises political temperatures. But it’s going to be trialed for airside workers at two airports, Manchester and London City, for an 18-month period. As well as a photograph, the cards will contain fingerprint data. In a fit of generosity the government will waive the £30 (around $50) per person fee for the cards in the trial.

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