Maybe it is just a state plan to keep an eye on the yakky dullards amongst the citizenry:
New rules by a Chinese government-backed Internet group maintain strict controls over the country's bloggers, requiring them to register with their real names and identification cards. The guidelines from the Internet Society of China (http://www.isc.org.cn), a group made up of China's major Internet companies, contradict state media reports this week claiming that China was considering loosening registration requirements for bloggers to allow anonymous online journaling.Well, fat chance of that. Given what might be called "unhealthy content" by a blutocrat working in a dictatorship one can only presume that the search to squash it is really just a great make work project. Which may make it more honest: in dictatorships, people are paid to idly read the web while in the free world people are paid while they idly read the web.
Comments
Gordo - May 24, 2007 10:22 am
Chinese internet restrictions are nowhere near as monolithic as some reports would have you believe, Alan. They vary from state to state and even from city to city. It's all about pleasing the local party secretary. There are some overriding restrictions like the blogger registrations, but the Great Firewall is actually a conglomeration of smaller retaining walls that can be negotiated and breached. Unfortunately, some foreign companies still cooperate with Beijing and <ahref="http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0909/p01s03-woap.html">hand over their users</a> to the thought police.
Gordo - May 24, 2007 10:25 am
Oops. Messed up the link: hand over their users to the thought police
Paul of Kingston - May 24, 2007 11:56 am
I will remember Uncle Bobby with great fondness.
Chris Taylor - May 24, 2007 5:45 pm
Perhaps we could cover the whole joint in honey and fire ants.